Forgotten Histories and Possible Futures of Circular Economies

Cross-disciplinary conversations about scrap metal bridging environmental history, waste management, and material circulation.
About this Event

Forgotten Histories and Possible Futures of Circular Economies

Please join us for the "Forgotten Histories and Possible Futures of Circular Economies" symposium on Friday, November 13 from 9:30-3:30. This first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary event will bring together leading historians, social scientists, and engineers to discuss how past innovations in recycling--of metals in particular--helped societies navigate crises and how those models might inform sustainable manufacturing today. The event is sponsored by the MIT Human Insight Collaborative (MITHIC) and MIT History and will host a free lunch for registered participants!

Agenda

🕑: 09:30 AM - 09:45 AM
Welcome Remarks
🕑: 09:45 AM - 11:00 AM
Panel I: Recycling Conservation

Info: Carl Zimring, Professor of History, Pratt Institute
Jay Turner, Professor of Environmental Studies, Wellesley
Saleem Ali, Professor of Geography, University of Delaware
Chair: Ishani Saraf, Associate Professor of STS, MIT

🕑: 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Break with coffee, fruit, and cheese
🕑: 11:30 AM - 12:45 PM
Panel II: World War II Histories and Beyond

Info: Peter Thorsheim, Professor of History, UNC Charlotte
Anne Berg, Associate Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania
Michael Kim, Professor of Korean Studies, Yonsei University
Chair: Ian Kumekawa, Lecturer in History, MIT

🕑: 01:00 PM - 02:00 PM
Lunch

Info: Lunch provided for all in Hayden Courtyard

🕑: 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Panel III: China's Industrialization (hybrid panel available onsite only)

Info: Joshua Goldstein, Professor of History, USC
Brian Spivey, Postdoctoral Fellow, Australia National University
Julie Klinger, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin
Chair: Victor Seow, Associate Professor of History of Science, Harvard

🕑: 03:00 PM - 03:15 PM
Closing Remarks
🕑: 03:30 PM
Post-Event Debrief - SHASS Conference Room

Info: Informal discussion of discussions from the event and ideation for continued discussion and future collaboration. Takes place in the SHASS Conference Room (16-628).