Berlin-Brandenburg Colloquium on Environmental History, Winter 2022-2023

2021

This colloquium provides an open forum for the discussion of environmental history research broadly defined in the region and internationally. This semester it is fully online, covering two main issues: First a mini-series of three events on the Uses of the Past in environmental history and the history of technology, followed by two talks in June on the history of nuclear energy and uranium mining in West and East Germany. Everyone is invited to attend. Please email us to register and obtain the login detail at meyer@zzf-potsdam.de

Donnerstag, 21.04.2016 Jan-Henrik Meyer (Trondheim/Copenhagen): Challenging the Ultimate Resource. Reviewing Social Movement Approaches to the Nuclear Energy Conflict in a Historical Perspective Donnerstag, 12.05.2016 Axel Zutz (Cottbus): Von den Mühen der Ebene in der Peripherie Brandenburgs: Protagonisten, Periodika und Praxis des Natur- und Heimatschutzes in der Niederlausitz zwischen 1900 und 1990 Donnerstag, 19.05.2016 Veronika Settele (Berlin): Die Produktion von Tieren. Landwirtschaftliche Tierhaltung in Deutschland, 1950 – 1980 Donnerstag, 09.06.2016 Alison Kraft (Birmingham): Radiological Dangers: From Unsafe Spaces to Environmental Hazard, 1900 - 1958 Donnerstag, 23.06.2016 Regine Auster (Potsdam): Umweltrecht in der DDR – Zum Wirken von Ellenor Oehler Donnerstag, 30.06.2016 Christina Gerhardt (Hawaii, USA): A Rose is a Rose is a Rose: Natural History in Adorno's Negative Dialectics Donnerstag, 14.07.2016 Santiago Gorostiza (Coimbra): Building a Fascist Wall: The Transformation of the Pyrenees during the Francoist Dictatorship in Spain (1939 – 1959) Donnerstag, 21.07.2016 Anja Neumann (Frankfurt, Oder): Die Obstbausiedlung „Eden“ bei Oranienburg unter dem Einfluss völkischer Ideen (1893-1933)

The Berlin Brandenburg for Environmental History has been providing a forum for discussing environmental history broadly defined since 2012. This summer term we will present 7 talks - ranging from colonial environments in Africa, Australia and India to recycling in East Germany and anti-nuclear protest. Celebrating our 5th anniversary, we will start the semester with the Jubilee talk by Professor KATE BROWN (American Academy Berlin / Baltimore, USA). The Great Chernobyl Mystery: How Ignorance became Policy and Politics Friedrichstr. 191-193, R. 5061 Wednesday, 03.05.2017

The Berlin Brandenburg Colloquium presents its new programme for the spring / summer semester 2015 (April - July) - covering a global range of environmental issues from nuclear testing in the Pacific, forests on the Philippines, to water management in Southern France and the colonization of the German moorlands. Some of the core themes of this semester are nuclear and energy issues and the emergence of the Green party. We are looking forward to intense and fruitful discussion in an informal atmosphere.

2020

This colloquium provides an open forum for the discussion of environmental history research broadly defined in the region and internationally. This semester it is fully online, covering topics ranging from the Marshall Plan to Nature Reserves in Israel/Palestine, from Global Environmental History to Wilderness in the Scottish Highlands

2019

We are happy to present a number of new research projects, on environmental policy avant la lettre in the Netherlands and the UK, on the colonisation of the climate, and on the second generation of the makers of environmentalism in the German Green party. Finally, we are particularly happy to have a guest from Brazil who will introduce us to how environmental ideas have been discussed among lawyers in the global south.

Donnerstag, 4.06.2015 Jan-Henrik Meyer (Aarhus & University of Copenhagen) & Albert Presas I Puig (Universidad Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona) HoNESt – Exploring the History of Nuclear Energy and Relations with Society in Europe Societal perceptions of and political responses to nuclear power differ widely between European countries. Funded by Horizon 2020/Euratom, the collaborative research project HoNESt (History of Nuclear Energy and Society) sets out to explain variety and change in European societies’ relations with nuclear energy on the basis of the historical experience. Assembling an interdisciplinary team of 22 partner institutions in Europe, HoNESt embarks on the first comprehensive comparative and transnational analysis of nuclear developments and their relations with society in 20 countries during the past 60 years. Providing an innovative interdisciplinary framework, the project embraces the complexity of political, technological and economic dimensions, issues of safety, risk perception and communication, public engagement and media framing. It takes seriously the role and often contradictory perspectives of the actors involved – industry, policy makers, experts, civil society actors and the media –, as well as the rapidly changing contexts over the past 60 years.

The Berlin Brandenburg Colloquium on Environmental History provides an open forum for the discussion of environmental history projects broadly defined. This semester we will start on 17 May with a double book presentation on the venerable issue of the hydraulic society - with two projects on controlling water in Russia and Germany. Further talks relate to East German environmental policy, Japan's dealing with disasters, the Temelin nuclear power plant and transnational cooperation across borders (and its pitfalls), as well as Brazilian dams. Donnerstag, 17.05.2018 Doppel-Buch-Präsentation „Umweltbeherrschung und Staatsbildung“: Julia Obertreis (Erlangen) "Imperial Desert Dreams" Christoph Bernhard (Erkner) "Im Spiegel des Wassers" Kommentar: Timothy Moss (Berlin) Moderation: Astrid M. Kirchhof, Jan-Henrik Meyer Abweichender Raum: 5009, Friedrichstr. 191-193, 5. Stock Donnerstag, 24.05.2017 Julia Mariko Jacoby (Berlin / Freiburg): Prediction for Planning: How Catastrophism Became Part of Japanese Disaster Policy Making 1892-1978 Donnerstag, 28.06.2017 Sophie Lange (Berlin): Deutsch-deutsche Umweltpolitik im internationalen und gesellschaftlichen Kontext des Ost-West-Konflikts, 1970-1990 Donnerstag, 05.07.2018 Birgit Müller (Paris): Clashes of Cultures of Protest. Anti-Nuclear Activism at the Czech - Austrian Border Donnerstag, 12.07.2018 Frederik Schulze (Münster): Environment and Knowledge. Large Dams in Latin America in the Twentieth Century Ort: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Friedrichstraße 191-193, Eingang Friedrichstr., Lift in den 4. Stock, Raum 4026. Zeit: 18:00 (c.t.) – 20:00 Uhr Kontakt: Astrid M. Kirchhof astrid.m.kirchhof@geschichte.hu-berlin.de Jan-Henrik Meyer j.h.meyer@hum.ku.dk