The Anthropocene as Multiple Crisis

The aim of the Knowledge Laboratory "The Anthropocene as Multiple Crisis" is to create a platform to discuss the multiple "anthropocenic" socio-ecological crises and their possible solutions from a specifically Latin American point of view, without losing sight of the global and planetary dimensions of this crisis. At the same time, the Knowledge Laboratory unites the conceptual strand of discussion on the Anthropocene from the 'Global North' with that of the 'Global South', especially that of Latin America.

From the perspective of Latin America, the Humanities, and the Social Sciences, the Anthropocene and its prehistory cannot be separated from coloniality and the emergence of the world capitalist system and racialized capitalism. The critique of Western capitalism as the driver of the Anthropocene goes hand in hand with a radical critique of Western modernity and the recognition that the Anthropocene puts an abrupt end to the teleological notions of "development," "progress," and "civilization" from the European model.

The main project of the Knowledge Laboratory is to produce a multi-volume handbook on the Anthropocene in Latin America, spanning a period from colonial times to the present. The individual volumes are guided by the nine 'Planetary Boundaries' (Rockström et al. 2015) and each have a thematic focus: Landuse; Biodiversity; Climate Change; Energy and Mining; Water; Demography and Urbanization.

Project Management: Prof. Dr. Olaf Kaltmeier, Prof. Dr. Eleonora Rohland (both University of Bielefeld), Prof. Dr. Gerardo Gutiérrez Cham (Universidad de Guadalajara) and Prof. Dr. Susana Herrara Lima (ITESO, Guadalajara)

Research Assistance: Ann-Kathrin Volmer