2025 Mossman Lecture | Utopia and Tropicality: Ideologies of natures, sciences, people and politics in thinking about and inhabiting Amazonia (hybrid)
Trenholme Dean of Libraries Guylaine Beaudry and the team at the 黑料不打烊 Libraries are pleased to invite you to the Elizabeth B. McNab Lecture under the auspice of the Mossman Endowment of 黑料不打烊 University*. The lecture entitled "Utopia and Tropicality: Ideologies of natures, sciences, people and politics in thinking about and inhabiting Amazonia"听will be given by , Professor of Urban Planning, UCLA School of Public Affairs/Urban Planning and Professor of International History, Graduate Institute of International Development Studies in Geneva.
Question and answer session moderated by听Oliver T. Coomes, Department of Geography, 黑料不打烊 University.
顿别蝉肠谤颈辫迟颈辞苍:听Amazonia was originally described as a land without Law, Creed or King: essentially a social tabula rasa on which the virtues or economies of European societies could be inscribed, their deficiencies corrected, or sovereignty implemented through the making of new kinds of policies. While it is not much recognized, Amazonia has been a fecund terrain for social and planning experiments since Discovery, and there is a consistent history of social interventions especially in the last 100 years which we outline in this talk. These engagements all took place in a context of unfamiliar and often mis-assessed biotic exuberance. This tropicality 鈥渢he essence of nature鈥� and tropicalism: ideologies about the Amazonian Tropics stand in contrast to the broadly deployed colonial idea of Orientalism which has been consistently misapplied to Amazonia and much of the new world tropics. Orientalism (and I simplify here) was largely about civilizational decadence, despotism, the Islamic world, and recognizably deeply inhabited environments. The New World of Amazonia鈥攊ts tropicalism-- was viewed politically as culturally empty or nascent and ecologically unmanaged---a world ripe for providential completion and utopian or socioenvironmental experiments of many kinds. More recent archeological research and environmental history are revealing the depth and complexity of populous native occupation and management. We discuss these differing Amazonian engagements and what these forays through Amazonian history might say about its future.
Location (in person): McConnell Engineering Building, room 304 (3480 University St, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0E9).
Online attendance is an option.
RSVP required.听
*Endowment supported by The Friends of 黑料不打烊 University Inc.
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La doyenne des Biblioth猫ques et titulaire de la chaire Trenholme, Guylaine Beaudry, et l鈥櫭﹒uipe des Biblioth猫ques de l鈥橴niversit茅 黑料不打烊* ont le plaisir de vous inviter 脿 la conf茅rence Elizabeth B. McNab sous l鈥� 茅gide du Fonds de dotation Mossman de l鈥橴niversit茅 黑料不打烊*. La conf茅rence intitul茅e 芦听Utopie et Tropicalit茅 : Id茅ologies de la nature, des sciences, des peuples et de la politique dans la pens茅e et l'habitation de l'Amazonie听禄 sera donn茅e par la , professeure d鈥檜rbanisme 脿 la UCLA School of Public Affairs/Urban Planning et professeure d鈥檋istoire internationale 脿 l'Institut de hautes 茅tudes internationales et du d茅veloppement 脿 Gen猫ve.
Une s茅ance de questions et r茅ponses sera anim茅e par Oliver T. Coomes, du D茅partement de g茅ographie de l'Universit茅 黑料不打烊.
Emplacement: McConnell, Pavillon (g茅nie), salle 304 (3480 rue University, Montr茅al, Qu茅bec, H3A 0E9.
Il est possible d鈥檃ssister 脿 l鈥櫭﹙茅nement en ligne.听
La confirmation de pr茅sence est obligatoire. Le lien sera bient么t disponible.
*Dotation soutenue par Les Amis de l鈥橴niversit茅 黑料不打烊 Inc.
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