The Value of the Anthropocene Concept: Ancient China as a Test Case with Tristram R. Kidder

The Center for Chinese Studies invites you to a Sammy Lee Seminar led by Professor Tristram R. Kidder (Anthropology, Washington University in Saint Louis) titled The Value of the Anthropocene Concept: Ancient China as a Test Case. The event will take place on Friday, October 31 from 1:00–3:00 pm in Bunche Hall 10383.

Abstract

Much of the discussion about the Anthropocene has focused on identification of exactly when the epoch began and how, especially in geological terms, it can be identified. However, the emphasis on timing and identification obscures the value of the Anthropocene concept: it describes a process whereby humans entered a new environmental dynamic in relation to the earth’s natural systems. This novel relationship is not an abstraction but rather a matter of compelling global concern. To understand the Anthropocene, we must recognize it is not an event but a process that has very deep temporal roots and great spatial variability. Using case studies from Sanyangzhuang, Henan and Haimenkou, Yunnan, I explore the diverse histories of the Anthropocene in ancient China and its causes and consequences. Understanding the Anthropocene process underscores the complex relationships between people, their environments, and the intended and unintended results of these interactions.

About the Speaker

Tristram R. (T.R.) Kidder is the Edward S. and Tedi Macias Professor in Anthropology, and Co-Director of the Program in Public Health & Society in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to joining the faculty of WashU, he taught at Tulane University. T.R. received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Harvard University.

T.R. follows in the footsteps of his grandfather, grandmother, great uncle and uncle, all of whom were professional archaeologists. He uses archaeological, geological, and environmental data to explore the archaeology of climate and environmental change in North America, China, and Central Asia. One of his specializations is studying the influences of global change on the geology and environments of large river valleys, such as the Mississippi and Yellow rivers, and subsequent influences on human cultures through time. T.R. has written on a wide range of topics, including Early Classic Mayan artifacts, the early human occupation of Sicily, forager archaeology, the geoarchaeology of earthen mounds, and Han Dynasty collapse and regeneration. He has authored or co-authored over 100 articles in anthropological, archaeological, and Quaternary science journals; in 2023 he was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. T.R. teaches an undergraduate class on climate change as well as graduate archaeology seminars and recently assumed responsibility to develop and co-direct an undergraduate program in public health.

About the Sammy Lee Lecture Series

First presented in 1982 in celebration of his 80th birthday, the Sammy Yukuan Lee Lectures on Chinese Art and Archaeology honors the life and philanthropy of respected businessman, art collector, and Chinese art authority, Sammy Yukuan Lee. This series is presented annually by the UCLA Center for Chinese Studies with support from the Sammy Yukuan Lee Foundation.