Field Notes from Gwanaksan, 30 August
On 30 August I visited Gwanaksan again. The following records provide a straightforward account of what was seen that day. Pine Tree with Dense Needle Clusters A Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora) was observed with unusually dense clusters of needles sprouting directly from the trunk. These formations likely result from adventitious buds breaking through after…
First Day on Gwanaksan: Nature, Culture, and Little Encounters
Gwanaksan is a popular mountain near Seoul, known for its hiking trails, temples, and diverse wildlife. On this visit, I documented some notable sights in sequence, focusing on the mix of cultural structures and species observed along the way. Temple Structure One stop along the trail was a traditional Korean temple located on the mountain…
How Does an Empire Colonize Nature?
Inside the Herbarium at Changgyeong Palace, South Korea Along the courtyards of Changgyeong Palace (창경궁, one of the five royal palaces of South Korea), an oddly modern anomaly stands out from its early modern background. The herbarium, named the ‘Dae On Sil’ (대온실, which literally translates to ‘Great Greenhouse’), is a relic that contains a…
Can History Ever Become “Total”?
The ‘total,’ it seems, is more of a myth to the historian nowadays. Although many historians have attempted to brand their work to capture the ‘total’ in the names of world history, global history, macro history, l’histoire total, the dream to capture the entirety of the human past seems a little far-fetched to be more…
Women’s Rights Before Feminism: Abigail Adams and the Founding Fathers
With the rise of Women’s history and Social history in the 1960’s, history since then has often reflected the interests of activist agendas. One such document that presented present-day activists with much resonance is Abigail Adams’ series of letters to John Adams, more commonly referred to as ‘The Adams’ Letters.’ On 31st March 1776, Abigail…
Why We Must Decolonise the Environment
My piece entitled ‘Why We Must Decolonise the Environment’ for Project Myopia is out now! Project Myopia is a decolonising project dedicated to diversifying university curricula and transforming teaching practices. It is a platform for works created by women, non-binary people, differently-abled people and people of colour – as well as radical approaches to teaching…
How Sustainable is Our Freedom to Eat?
Egg shortages (BBC, 2022) As historians, we are familiar with the narrative of modern progress. Throughout our undergraduate studies, we are taught about the liberties enabled by modern development: the freedom to speak, to commerce, and to eat. According to this narrative, the colourful array of goods we see in a supermarket is a glorious…
The Power of History: Aldo Leopold’s Environmentalism for COP 26
Time is running out. Temperatures have gotten hotter and sea levels higher. Scientists in the IPCC’s 6th Report have told us we have less than a decade to cross the 2°C point-of-no-return. Although we are keenly aware of ‘what’ we are supposed to battle, we seem to be completely lost on ‘how’ to bring about…
What is environmental history?
Is the ‘environment’ natural? Before we begin, what even is the “environment”? We often think of the environment as synonymous with the natural world of animals, plants, and landscapes, where human civilisation hasn’t had its reach yet. A quick search on Google image reveals pictures of green, sublime images of the natural landscape. The dictionary…
Has History Become Irrelevant?
History is under scrutiny. In 2003, Charles Clarke, the Secretary of Education of the UK, dismissed medieval historians as “ornamental” as he stressed the supposed needlessness of public funding towards the humanities. Although Clarke’s dismissal of medieval history is by no means an accurate survey of the public opinion towards the profession, it does reflect…
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The Green Ideology 