Re-conceptualizing the Anthropocene: A call for collaboration |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Anthropology, Center for the Analysis of Social-Ecological Landscapes (CASEL), and The Ostrom Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, Indiana University Bloomington, United States;2. Department of Sociology & Human Geography, University of Oslo, Norway;3. Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia;4. Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, The Netherlands;5. Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden;6. Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy, King’s College London, UK;7. Agrocampus Ouest, INRA, UMR1069 SAS, Rennes, France;8. School of Natural Resource & Environment, University of Michigan, MI, United States;9. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada;10. Faculty of Psychology, University of Lisbon, Portugal;11. Department of Oceanography, National Sun Yat Sen University, Taiwan |
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| Abstract: | Since it was first proposed in 2000, the concept of the Anthropocene has evolved in breadth and diversely. The concept encapsulates the new and unprecedented planetary-scale changes resulting from societal transformations and has brought to the fore the social drivers of global change. The concept has revealed tensions between generalized interpretations of humanity’s contribution to global change, and interpretations that are historically, politically and culturally situated. It motivates deep ethical questions about the politics and economics of global change, including diverse interpretations of past causes and future possibilities. As such, more than other concepts, the Anthropocene concept has brought front-and-center epistemological divides between and within the natural and social sciences, and the humanities. It has also brought new opportunities for collaboration. Here we explore the potential and challenges of the concept to encourage integrative understandings of global change and sustainability. Based on bibliometric analysis and literature review, we discuss the now wide acceptance of the term, its interpretive flexibility, the emerging narratives as well as the debates the concept has inspired. We argue that without truly collaborative and integrative research, many of the critical exchanges around the concept are likely to perpetuate fragmented research agendas and to reinforce disciplinary boundaries. This means appreciating the strengths and limitations of different knowledge domains, approaches and perspectives, with the concept of the Anthropocene serving as a bridge, which we encourage researchers and others to cross. This calls for institutional arrangements that facilitate collaborative research, training, and action, yet also depends on more robust and sustained funding for such activities. To illustrate, we briefly discuss three overarching global change problems where novel types of collaborative research could make a difference: (1) Emergent properties of socioecological systems; (2) Urbanization and resource nexus; and (3) Systemic risks and tipping points. Creative tensions around the Anthropocene concept can help the research community to move toward new conceptual syntheses and integrative action-oriented approaches that are needed to producing useful knowledge commensurable with the challenges of global change and sustainability. |
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| Keywords: | Anthropocene Interdisciplinary Complex social–ecological systems Global change Earth system Sustainability International political economy |
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