Episode 6: ‘The myth of hyperabundance’: the environmental history of the Americas
29 June 2020
The indigenous peoples of the Americas saw themselves as an integral part of the environment, and had a strong respect for it. This changed with the arrival and conquest of the settlers, when the environment was seen as a resource to be used and exploited.
In this podcast Dr Hazel Marsh (UEA), Prof Susan Oliver (Essex) and Prof Karen Jones (Kent) look at this relationship through the lens of the ‘environmental humanities’. They examine the exploratory voyages of the nineteenth century, the myth of ‘hyperabundance’, and how the climate crisis has focused minds and developed a new understanding and respect for the environment.
This podcast resulted from the cancellation of the public lecture series, The Future of the Americas, which was due to take place at UEA in the spring.
Photo by Aniket Deole on Unsplash