Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society
Encyclopedia
The Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society (RCC) is an international, interdisciplinary
center for research and education in the environmental humanities located in Munich, Germany. It was
founded in 2009 as a joint initiative of LMU Munich (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) and the Deutsches Museum
, and is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The center is named after the American biologist, nature writer, and environmentalist, Rachel Carson
.
The Rachel Carson Center's directors are Christof Mauch
of LMU Munich and Helmuth Trischler of the Deutsches Museum.
The Rachel Carson Center supports research around six thematic clusters:
The Rachel Carson Center offers the doctoral program “Environment and Society” through LMU Munich.
center for research and education in the environmental humanities located in Munich, Germany. It was
founded in 2009 as a joint initiative of LMU Munich (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) and the Deutsches Museum
Deutsches Museum
The Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany, is the world's largest museum of technology and science, with approximately 1.5 million visitors per year and about 28,000 exhibited objects from 50 fields of science and technology. The museum was founded on June 28, 1903, at a meeting of the Association...
, and is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The center is named after the American biologist, nature writer, and environmentalist, Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson
Rachel Louise Carson was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement....
.
The Rachel Carson Center's directors are Christof Mauch
Christof Mauch
Christof Mauch is a German historian, presently director of the Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society in Munich, Germany, and since 2007 professor of American Cultural History and Transatlantic Relations at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen. From 1999 to 2007 Christof Mauch was...
of LMU Munich and Helmuth Trischler of the Deutsches Museum.
Research
The Rachel Carson Center facilitates research concerning interaction between human agents and nature. Its goal is to strengthen the role of the humanities in current political and scientific debates about the environment. Generally, the ccenter hosts a rotating group of approximately ten "Carson Fellows," post-doctoral researchers and established scholars from a variety of national and disciplinary backgrounds.The Rachel Carson Center supports research around six thematic clusters:
- Natural Disasters and Cultures of Risk
- Resource Use and Conservation
- Ecological Imperialism
- Transformation of Landscapes
- Environmental Ethics, Politics, and Movements
- Environmental Knowledge and Knowledge Societies
Natural Disasters and Cultures of Risk
This research cluster examines how different societies have historically handled natural catastrophes. It investigates the cultural perceptions, forms of remembrance, and social as well as ecological factors which influence settlement of “risky areas.”Resource Use and Conservation
This research investigates practices and discourses concerning natural resource use and conservation, including cultural comparisons and technical solutions.Ecological Imperialism
This cluster explores the environmental impact of colonial and neo-colonial regimes. This includes conservation and destruction, as well as the influence that cartography, surveying, and development planning have had on perceptions of the natural environment.Transformation of Landscapes
Research in this cluster focuses on physical, cultural, economic, social, and political factors and consequences related to the transformation of agricultural landscapes.Environmental Ethics, Politics, and Movements
This cluster examines ethical and political concerns such as environmental justice and sustainability. It also investigates environmental movements' origins and the social mechanisms that have contributed to their political relevance.Environmental Knowledge and Knowledge Societies
This research concerns the role of academic scholarship in the construction and distribution of knowledge about "nature," such as the nature/culture dichotomy.Activities
To share and discuss the work of its researchers and visitors, the RCC hosts a series of public colloquia, conferences, and workshops. The center’s outreach program also includes the development of exhibitions in collaboration with the Deutsches Museum. An online portal, currently under development, aims to make digitized environmental humanities sources and interpretive exhibitions more accessible to academics and the public at large.The Rachel Carson Center offers the doctoral program “Environment and Society” through LMU Munich.