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EIHS Workshop: Can the More-Than-Human Speak? Exploring the Possibilities and Limitations of Post-Anthropocentric Histories

Christopher DeCou, Sunhong Kim, Lopaka O'Connor, Perrin Selcer (moderator)
Friday, January 20, 2023
12:00-2:00 PM
1014 Tisch Hall Map
Most histories are histories of human actors. No matter if those actors were dominant, marginalized, or not even recognized as fully human at the time, historians have mainly focused on highlighting the role of humans in making their own histories under radically distinct circumstances. Following the lead of scholars from the fields of Science and Technology studies (STS), environmental history, anthropology, digital studies, material history, archaeology, book history, and literary and cultural studies, this EIHS roundtable discussion investigates the possibilities and limitations of engagements with the past that decenter humans as the driving force and focal point of history. Examining a wide array of more-than-human actors, including sturgeon fish in the Amur River, the Kaho’olawe island, and the Seosan Land Reclamation Juvenile Camp in South Korea, this panel challenges conventional archival and scholarly practices of historians by subverting anthropocentric and empiricist notions of voice, agency, and linear time.

Panelists:

• Christopher DeCou (PhD Student, History, University of Michigan)
• Sunhong Kim (PhD Student, Musicology, University of Michigan)
• Lopaka O'Connor (PhD Student, History, University of Michigan)
• Perrin Selcer, moderator (Associate Professor, History and Program in the Environment, University of Michigan)

This event presented by the Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies. It is made possible in part by a generous contribution from Kenneth and Frances Aftel Eisenberg.
Building: Tisch Hall
Event Type: Workshop / Seminar
Tags: History
Source: Happening @ Michigan from Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies, Department of History

The Thursday Series is the core of the institute's scholarly program, hosting distinguished guests who examine methodological, analytical, and theoretical issues in the field of history. 

The Friday Series consists mostly of panel-style workshops highlighting U-M graduate students. On occasion, events may include lectures, seminars, or other programs presented by visiting scholars.

The insitute also hosts other historical programming, including lectures, film screenings, author appearances, and similar events aimed at a broader public audience.