Date Approved

10-15-2019

Embargo Period

11-6-2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. History

Department

History

College

College of Humanities & Social Sciences

Advisor

Wang, Q. Edward

Committee Member 1

Morschauser, Scott

Committee Member 2

Carrigan, William

Keywords

Environment, History, Posthumanity

Subject(s)

Human ecology--History

Disciplines

History

Abstract

The purposes of this thesis were to (A) determine a new historiographical direction for environmental history through analyzing posthuman environmental change, (B) to present a new historical analysis of posthumanity, reinforced by scholarly accomplishes with the anthropocene, that allows the historian to discuss environmental history with humanity as a secondary character, and (C) to show how both the historiography of environmental history, as well as specific case studies of climate, infestations, and natural disasters, are able to present this new direction for environmental history. What has been the end result is that humanity will always improve their condition of sustainability, and the limitless ambitions of humanity should be common knowledge for environmental historians. Humanity's improvements to their condition of sustainability have allowed nature to become historically analyzed as a primary agent of environmental change, challenging the environmental historian's current dichotomy of humanity and nature competing for survival.

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