Geographies of the Anthropocene

摘要: Introduction If humans have become a rival to Nature, then the epic nomenclature of great forces – eras, periods, and epochs geological time finally been reconciled with social, something geographers might cheer or lament. For over century, there calls recognise human impact its own epoch. The most recent these significant given unprecedented shift in Earth system functioning (Steffen et al., 2011) proposes name Anthropocene (Crutzen Stoermer, 2000). To date, has also successful terms academic popular reception. proposal led an explosion debate among both scientific social thinkers, for groups refreshed long-standing exploration purported division between science society (Rittel Webber, 1973; Funtowicz Ravetz, 1993). This paper introduces concepts debates within special issue Geographical Research that deals Anthropocene. Our aim is contribute help consolidate rapidly expanding discourse explores humanity as akin force, but added emphasis on geography geographers. Geographers history being wary ‘buzzwords’, only hindsight lament missed opportunities when those buzzwords are adopted by other disciplines convention (see environmental studies). Is ‘Anthropocene’ fad, important idea should be embraced geographers, altogether different? notion not so far settled it cannot influenced discipline Geography, reason think Geography much offer regardless whether concept becomes widely popularly discarded. More than definition moral, cultural, political challenges amplifying. Geographers, then, opportunity consider during ‘adolescence’ (cf Castree, 2014c) to, simultaneously, how capitalise what appears rapid ascension. ‘opportunity-challenge’ recognised explored elsewhere (e.g. Dalby, 2007; Gibson-Graham, 2011; Yusoff, 2013b; 2014a; 2014b; 2014c; Johnson 2014; Whitehead, Young, 2014), leading us take up promising daunting emerge from Anthropocene-Geography discussions: this present ‘meeting place’ heterogeneous groups, framings, sub-disciplinary specialisms make discipline. wide divergent ways. goal here any way establish consensus impose direction, explore emergent themes context Geography. requires sophisticated approach space, time, knowledge, politics, action, and, perhaps all, interactions systems, including empirical ontological blurring categories. As bs_bs_banner