Environmental Humanities

This Connected Community is devoted to the innovative paradigm of the Environmental Humanities: it aims to explore the critical role of the humanities in a time of environmental crisis, generating socio-ecological awareness, raising informed critique of existing paradigms and systems, and sustaining social, cultural and ethical change to protect and nourish the diversity of life on our planet. Four European universities with different interdisciplinary perspectives, frameworks and experiences join to explore, compare and exchange pedagogical models and best practices, working toward a collective response to new global challenges.

This CC provides a platform where students, researchers, academic and administrative staff, as well as artists, civil society and non academic audiences join forces to develop and promote collaborative pedagogical and research initiatives. It means to develop a teaching-research environment promoting not only curriculum but also potential research development. EH students will be involved in research activities, projects and workshops, in collaboration with PhD students and researchers. The CC offers EH research-based strategies for the transformation of pedagogy, in line with EH research on ecological consciousness, environmental affect, inclusive worldmaking and critical reflection on public understandings of sustainability, ecology, disruption, and climate crisis. The CC emphasises research-oriented learning, co-production with students, and the development of experimental interdisciplinary formats.

For more information, please see HERELink opens in a new window.

Summer Symposium at Warwick: Confluence: Situating the Environmental Humanities (May 30th-June 1st 2024)

This CC’s first activity was a symposium organised at Warwick to share interdisciplinary best practices, and to explore and confront critical issues in the field of Environmental Humanities. The event brought together academics from four EUTOPIA institutions (UNIVE, NOVA, TUD, and UW) and regional civic actors such as Coventry Biennial and the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust.

The symposium aimed to examine environmental issues through the lens of place-based internationalisation and to situate the ‘local’ as inherently global in ecological discourse. It enhanced presentations with community-focused field visits and workshops, producing a rich dialogue across disciplinary and geographic boundaries. This convergence of scholarship, activism, and education showcases how EUTOPIA communities can extend the reach of their teaching missions beyond university walls, while reinforcing Warwick’s civic engagement agenda and transdisciplinary teaching innovation.