The Politics of Periodization: What “the Anthropocene” Means for Critical History

My presentation will build on John McNeill’s discussion of the rival definitions of the Anthropocene and the evidence that lies behind them. The central question for me will be the difference between the practices of periodization in geology and in history. I will sketch the ways in which these practices emerged separately in each discipline in the nineteenth century and the issues that arise for historians now that they are in conversation with one another as we confront the anthropogenic impacts on earth systems summed up in the term “Anthropocene.” Central to my effort is explicating the political stakes for historians in rival definitions of the Anthropocene proposed by scientists.