The Anthropocenic Moment: Modernity Narratives in Early China

This talk explores the parallels between the historical vision of the Huainanzi (139 BCE) and contemporary debates over the “Anthropocene,” the claim that the world has entered a new geological epoch defined by anthropogenic influence. It argues that those parallels not only point to the environmental potential of early Chinese thought, but also provide an opportunity for critical reflection on current narratives of periodization in both Asian Studies and the environmental humanities

Matthew Hamm is a Killam Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Asian Studies whose research focuses on the relevance of early Chinese philosophy for contemporary environmental thought. He received a PhD in Chinese history from Harvard University in 2018 and an MA in Asian Studies from UBC in 2011. His dissertation research explored how philosophers of China’s Warring States period (475-221 BCE) articulated and propagated comprehensive philosophical programs for how individuals should live their daily lives.