ERA Conference / Biopolitics, the Ecology of Humanity, and the Anthropocene

The global pandemic forced many of us to slow down and scale down in our daily lives, but also to think about our routines and the impact these routines have on not only our lives, but our planet. We have become familiar with the impact human travel has had on the environment, as well as the importance of the environment and social structures which we have created for ourselves. Inspired, rather than hindered, by these new circumstances, we invite young scholars and early-stage researchers to join ERA - a space of academic disruption where horizontal alliances are forged, hierarchies from the old world do not matter, and new ideas are born.

Before the pandemic, we fought for grants to attend prestigious conferences and events, we tried to outsmart each other, and we competed against one another in a publish or perish environment. ERA is a project which aims to foster transnational cooperatives between early-stage researchers and build bridges between people, places, and institutions, instead of vying for grants, scholarships, and publications. We want to bring a new approach to academia by creating an inclusive space of encounters. The ERA conference last year had participants look into the past, and this year, we invite applicants to look at the present and consider the future as they ponder the possibilities and alternatives afforded to us by our current situation - i.e. the Coronavirus pandemic. This year’s ERA conference focuses on studying the relationship humans have to their constructed social environments as well as the planet in which they inhabit and act upon through biopolitics, the ecology of humanity, and the Anthropocene.

The Anthropocene is an unofficial geologic title that is described by the National Geographic as being “the most recent period in Earth’s history when human activity started to have a significant impact on the planet’s climate and ecosystem” (2019). This unofficial term is contested by those who claim that we remain in the Holocene. However, this unofficial term aids in establishing that humanity has had a great impact on the environment in which it resides. From global warming to habitat destruction, to ocean acidification, to plastic pollution - humans undeniably have had a significant impact on this planet. Are we in the Anthropocene? How else can humans impact the planet? Is humanities impact inherently negative?

You can find more information about the event and organisers here: www.eracademics.org

ONLINE

II ERA Conference

Time: Oct 6, 2022 10:00 AM London

Join Zoom Meeting: https://ucl.zoom.us/j/91056114642

Meeting ID: 910 5611 4642

IN PERSON

Day 1: University College London, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Foster Court, room 351 (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/maps/foster-court)

Day 2 and Day 3: University College London, Institute of Advanced Studies (South Wing, Wilkins Building), room G11 (IAS Common Ground)

Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom

Host or Publisher Early Research Academics