Paper short abstract:

The environmental turn in the humanities urges archaeology not only to write environmental deep histories that document past human-environment relations but also to turn a critical eye on its own narratives. This brief paper introduces the rational for P46 and sets the scene for the day.

Paper long abstract:

The aim, broadly defined, of the Environmental Humanities is to address the "the human dimensions of the environmental crisis" and - arguably at least - this environmental turn is "transforming how humanities scholars conduct research, how they relate to the natural and social sciences, and perhaps most importantly, how they conceive of their roles in a time of accelerating global environmental change" (Bergthaller et al. 2015: 261-2). Archaeology in Europe is most commonly part of the Humanities, has long addressed topics of climate change and human-environment relations, yet remains marginal to the Environmental Humanities that are both more focused on the human experience of environmental and climate change and are more openly politically and ethically engaged. This Panel explores whether and how archaeology can be articulate with and contribute to the Environmental Humanities initiative.