Rispoli describes geoanthropology as “a new domain of research that addresses the relations between the geosphere and anthroposphere and that studies the various mechanisms, dynamics, and pathways that have moved us into the Anthropocene.”
According to Omodeo et al., geoanthropology “seeks to merge an updated version of Earth System research (the geo, including the bio) with cultural theories and histories of socio-material, energetic, and informational flows (the anthropos).”
The article by Renn states that “the aim of geoanthropology is to study the co-evolutionary system created by the addition of the technosphere to the Earth System: the techno–Earth System.”
What are some basic sources on geoanthropology? Let us consider three. All three conceive of geoanthropology as a response to the challenges posed by the Anthropocene, but each one places a different emphasis in terms of research approach.
These are some of the most general, broad-spectrum questions that have inspired this conference. We are excited to explore them through the more specific themes of metabolism, legal imagination, and geopraxis!
www.unive.it/geometa
Nonetheless, how can Earth system science and Anthropocene theory (and history) co-exist and even communicate in a shared epistemological framework given their methodological differences? What is needed to turn this programmatic research proposal into an operative field of research?
The difficult question is: How? To start, the “geo” part draws on Earth system science, a relatively new field, while “anthropos” is characterized by interdisciplinary research from the Anthropocene debate. (A common misunderstanding is to think "anthropology" must refer to the classical discipline)
What is geoanthropology? In a simple and reductive sense, a proposal for a different way of studying the Earth and its human inhabitants. Whereas traditional disciplines separate these two areas, geoanthropology seeks to bring them together within a shared epistemological framework.
Pleased to announce the Geoanthropology: Metabolism, Legal Imagination, and Geopraxis conference, hosted by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice in Spring 2025. More information about the event, keynotes, and geoanthropology in general soon! For details, see the CFP website: www.unive.it/geometa
