William Cronon’s essay about ghost towns in “Kennecott Journey: The Paths Out of Town” explores ecology, environmental crisis and the American West. Many thanks to Will Carroll for suggesting our reading this week.
Reading:
William Cronon’s essay, “Kennecott Journey: The Paths Out of Town” in Under an Open Sky: Rethinking America’s Western Past. Link to PDF. Please email d.butchard@bham.ac.uk if the link doesn’t work for you.
Note! We’re meeting an hour earlier than usual, at 1pm.
Time & Place:
- 13:00-14:00, Wed 19 June 2019
- Arts 247 (Dorothy’s office)
“In the end, the abstract questions we ask about environmental history resolve themselves into small human actions at very particular times and places: Ahtna hunters setting aside caribou meat as an offering by the fire, miners digging copper in frozen tunnels, middle-class families fishing by a lake. It is the details that matter.” – William Cronon, “Kennecott Journey”
About the Doctoral Seminar:
This is an informal weekly reading group run for postgraduates within the Department of English Literature. We select a short text to read in advance, often a work of theory, then meet to discuss it. The seminar provides an opportunity to consider aspects of the reading that were thought-provoking or challenging for you, think about how it relates to texts you may have studied or plan to read, and share aspects of your own research and academic practice. It’s also a chance to get together, try out ideas, and meet fellow postgraduate researchers. There will be tea, coffee and biscuits and you are very welcome!