News

CSR PhD student Sara Miglietti and History PhD student John Morgan have been jointly awarded an HRC doctoral fellowship for 2014/2015 to organise a one-day interdisciplinary conference on 'Ruling Climate: The Theory and Practice of Environmental Governmentality 1500-1800)'. 'Ruling Climate' aims to explore the relationship between cultural perceptions of the environment and practical attempts at environmental regulation and change between 1500 and 1800. The conference is focused around three main themes:

• continuities and discrepancies between ancient and early modern climate theories: how were classical theories of climatic influence received and adjusted in the early modern period? How did the understanding of climate itself change over time?

• the political significance of climate theories: how did theories of climatic influence inspire and sustain governmental efforts of various kinds, in domestic and colonial contexts? eg. population displacement, environmental planning and public health, engineering works, siting new colonies, etc.

• governed by climate/governing climate: what is the relationship between theories of climatic influence and the development of strategies to cope with/modify climate and the environment? eg. through agricultural improvement, increased human settlement, drainage, deforestation, etc.

Keynote speakers will include Rebecca Earle (Warwick) and Franz Mauelshagen (KWI Essen). A call for papers will be issued in September 2014. For more info, visit http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/hrc/confs/rc/ or email John and Sara at RulingClimate@gmail.com