UPEACE Research Colloquium: “Peaceful Coexistence: Genders, Natures, and Technologies in the Anthropocene” | University for Peace,​​ San José, Costa Rica​




Fechas del evento: 27 al 30 de abril de 2015

Humanity has entered a new era —the Anthropocene— a geological epoch of global climate change and momentous human influence on ecological processes [Crutzen, 2002; Zalasiewicz et al., 2008]. The heavy human burden on local and global ecosystems has largely been enabled by technological advancements, such as those in agriculture, mobility, and medicine [see Crutzen and Steffen, 2003]. As a consequence, today’s societies are wealthier than ever, the trade between societies is more global than ever, and the people in societies live longer than ever.  While this development of humanity is commonly considered as desirable, it can also be critically scrutinized. For instance, the gained affluence is still extremely unequally distributed within and in between nation states; international trade in still largely dominated by the (neo)colonial states; and the rights of women, indigenous communities, people of colour, sexual minorities, and other marginal groups, are still in their infancy. And essentially, the current “development” has lead to a radical increase in the use of natural resources and climate emissions [IPCC, 2014] putting the existence of many species —including humans— in jeopardy [Barnosky et al., 2011; 2012].
We are interested in abstracts that explore any alternative pathways to the current state of affairs in the Anthropocene. While we are particularly keen on the understanding how the perceptions of gender, nature, and technology influence peaceful coexistence, we surely invite submissions on any substantive topic and discipline. Our strong intention is that this first UPEACE Research Colloquium serves as a place and space for creation where everyone attracted to this topic area can contribute to the inquiry. Hope to see you in Costa Rica!