Environment
Time: 2025-09-19 10:45 - 12:15
Location: Medium Hall A at Auditorium Maximum
Chairman: Piotr Filipkowski
Events within this Session
Mountains and Safety in Mind. Re-Thinking the Sources of Environmental History
Type: session | Language: English
Time: 10:45 - 12:15
Abstract
In a statement reflecting the enduring allure of mountains, Edmund Hillary observed, “Mountains are pretty addictive.” This quote may show that mountaineers are committed to mountain nature, but it can equally advocate their risky crossing of the safety line. The paper’s focus is on scholars and alpinists. Their travelogues and interviews published shortly after the expedition with a sporting achievement serve often as primary (oral history) sources for history of mountaineering as well as for environmental history. The problem is how those interviews were conducted if the focus was on the most successful climber. Following the conquest of Mt. Everest in 1953, expert knowledge, technological advances, and climbing equipment gradually led to the advent of risky alpinism in the present era. The author summarizes finding from different projects (mathematicians entangled in mountains, astronomical observations, geological expedition Cotopaxi 1972) and encompass the methodology of questioning scientific discoveries, sporting achievements, environmental issues and the commercialization of local tourism. It considers the tension between discourse on successful mountain conquest and recollections of unsuccessful and risky expeditions, including disillusionment with the current state of mountain tourism. The question at hand is which history of mountain climbing and environmental history we should re-think and transmit to future generations. A particular focus is placed on the circulation of environmental knowledge from the Carpathians and Alps to other continents.
Speakers
The Rhetoric of Voicelessness in Animal Advocacy: Oral History as a Methodology in Critical Animal Studies
Type: session | Language: English
Time: 10:45 - 12:15
Abstract
Oral history provides a valuable methodology for addressing a persistent issue in animal advocacy and justice movements: do nonhuman animals have a voice, and if so, how can their stories be captured and interpreted? Nonhuman subjects can produce sounds, manifest fears and pain, and communicate through embodied experiences. However, their voices are neither recognized nor considered in the public sphere, thereby excluding them from acknowledgment as political agents, even when they are no longer entrapped within productive logic. This communicative misconception has influenced the course of action of animals and their human advocates in the political domain. Numerous non-profit animal groups and organizations have endeavored to represent these silenced nonhumans, referring to themselves as the “voice of the voiceless.” Despite their best intentions, however, advocacy ventriloquism presents an inherent complexity, wherein activists speak on behalf of marginalized groups, often misrepresenting or overshadowing the authentic voices they aim to support. This issue is prevalent across various forms of advocacy, becoming particularly problematic when it limits those who cannot systematically fight for their own participation. It is crucial to critically examine how these narratives are collected, constructed, and conveyed, as well as the extent to which they authentically represent the experiences of nonhuman animals. By leveraging oral history and lending our ears rather than our voices, we can strive to capture and decode the genuine stories of animals, fostering a more ethical and politically representative form of advocacy. This approach not only acknowledges the expressive capacities of nonhuman animals but also promotes a deeper understanding of relational ecology within the realm of oral history and the multispecies interconnectedness within animal sanctuaries.
Speakers
From Glory to Oblivion: the Fight to Preserve Our Home
Type: session | Language: English
Time: 10:45 - 12:00
Abstract
Este documental se basa en las narraciones de diez personas mayores de entre 70 y 97 años quienes nos comparten los sentimientos que les genera haber nacido en Barrio Arriba “El Barrio”, así como la situación actual de este espacio emblemático, central en el desarrollo histórico, económico, social y cultural en la ciudad de León, Guanajuato, México. Se estrenó el 15 de mayo de 2024 a las 19:30 horas en el Jardín Allende de la Colonia Julián de Obregón (Barrio Arriba) como parte de los festejos del 427 Aniversario de la Fundación de Barrio. Arriba del 13 al 17 de mayo de 2024. La coordinación de entrevistas y logística estuvo al cargo de la presidenta del Comité de Colonos 2023-2025 Ana del Socorro Infante Martínez y la secretaria Cecilia Rodríguez Aviña. Las personas que compartieron sus testimonios son: Ana Del Socorro Infante Martínez, Bertha Martínez, José Luis Ramírez, José de Jesús Aranda Silva, Guillermo Cano Moreno, Primo Quiroz Durán , Pedro Marmolejo Rayas, Sebastiana Regalado Cortes, María Irene Rodríguez Ontiveros y Verónica Araceli Rodríguez Gómez.