Scott Ashley

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Scott Ashley

Information

Lecturer in History

Newcastle University,

School of History, Classics, and Archaeology

EMAIL: scott.ashley@newcastle.ac.uk

See Scott's NCL page>

Motivation

I believe that the Humanities has a major contribution to make towards understanding both where our planet and species have come from and where they are travelling towards. But equally the Humanities has a lot to learn from other fields of knowledge and other kinds of knowledge if they are to survive and flourish into the twenty-second century. Thinking about the Anthropocene and what it means has been one of the most exciting ways for me of creating those conversations where we can both teach and learn.

BACKGROUND

"I was originally trained as a historian of early-medieval Europe and in many ways this remains a major part of my intellectual life. Over time I have come to integrate into this work broader interests in environmental history and writing from all periods and in more global settings."

INTERESTS/RESEARCH

"I am currently interested in histories of the climate and in ‘first contact’ impacts between humans and ecosystems in places such as Iceland, Madagascar, and New Zealand during the so-called ‘Global Middle Ages’. More generally, I am keen to explore and communicate fresh and exciting stories about humanity and our place in deep time through ideas derived from ‘Big History’ and the Anthropocene."