History

For the first time in 4.54 billion years, Earth, flora, fauna, and climate are unrectifiably affected by the sum of human actions. As a result, historians are witnessing their own domain of expertise, the development of human society over time, transgress into the realm of nature. Clearly, the humanities are challenged by the epoch and state of the Anthropocene, which is more than just a matter of geology. In response, historians have taken decisive steps to develop more viable versions of recording history. These include: (a) reconsidering frameworks of historiography to accommodate nature amidst the history of human interactions, (b) paying attention to multiple dynamic scales, (c) minding and multiplying the categories of historical actor, and (d) viewing key topics such as environmental economics, energy and resource extraction through a critical, epistemological lens. It is time to adjust the patterns of justification and responsibility which lie in historical narratives.