Department of English

• Thursday, October 20, 2016 (All day) to Saturday, October 22, 2016 (All day)

Kislak Center and International House

Ecological crises demand collaborative solutions across distant disciplines. New models for grappling with environmental disruption must account for the interaction of human and non-human systems—infrastructures that are both efficient and ethical, philosophies shaped by geological data, basic science that is informed by artistic expression. In recent decades, concepts like “Anthropocene” and “slow violence” have emerged in response to an increasing need to address the temporal aspects of global ecological concerns: Where in time do we place the origin of anthropogenic environmental change? How quickly (or slowly) do environments toxify, adapt, transform, or heal? How soon before we exceed irrevocable concentrations of atmospheric CO2, and what then?

These questions demand alternative modes of temporal engagement at the intersection of the arts, humanities, and natural and social sciences. Organized by the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities, Timescales gathers local, regional, and international scholars, artists, and public-sector and grassroots activists to participate in conversations about the nature of environmental time that integrate diverse forms of knowledge. Featured speakers include: Wai Chee Dimock, Ömür Harmanşah, Dagomar Degroot, Dave Evans, and Dale Jamieson.

Details and program at www.timescalesconference.wordpress.com.