Recording the Anthropocene

We began in the fall of 2012 as a group of Duke faculty, graduate students, and staff from a variety of disciplines and fields who shared an interest in this topic. The Anthropocene follows a relatively recent turn that has seen human beings increasingly acknowledged to be an integral part of nature.

Our conversations showed us that multiple disciplines and fields are required to understand the implications of the Anthropocene. While many of the geologic issues of the Anthropocene are issues of natural science, they clearly reveal the critical importance of how communication—language, image, and story--help us make sense of the place of the human in our Earth’s history.

We are motivated by a shared conviction that if you change the story, you can begin to change the world. We invite your participation: How do you think we should tell the story of the Anthropocene?