MODERN LANGUAGES, LITERATURES AND CULTURES (MLLC)

M.A. Program in
STUDIES IN COMPARATIVE LITERATURES AND ARTS
GRADUATE COLLOQUIUM
Saturday 2 March 2024 (noon-2 pm, online)

We, in the Anthropocene

Today’s young scholars are the first generation to be aware of the Anthropocene as a distinct
notion and designation. Scientific debates on this proposed new geological epoch are taking place
at a time when the planet is facing climate change and global warming, affecting everyone’s daily
life.

This new awareness is producing a generative discourse in literature and the arts. While the
Anthropocene and its manifestations are thematized in creative works, their reception is heightened
by the fact that today’s diverse publics are likely to perceive our ecosystems as fragile
environments. In our Anthropocene age, we may also be more acutely receptive to the ideas
underlying pre-2000 artistic and literary explorations of ecology and pollution.

Presentations in this colloquium will explore twentieth- and twenty-first- century works in the
arts and literature that foreground the degradation of our environments.

Open to the public, free event, registration required
To register, please contact Catherine Parayre, cparayre@brocku.ca