Anthropocene and Animal Studies Reading Group

Friday, Oct 21, 2022 - on Zoom 

Lucas Bessire's Running Out (Princeton, 2021)
This is a gorgeous and timely meditation on aquifer depletion in the midwest United States. Letting theory bubble up from the empirical, Bessire gives us a sense for the world-ripping destruction involved in settler ilogics that bring into being the Anthropocene. Part memoir, part investigative research, it stretches the bounds of genre and is a beautiful example of public scholarship that describes climate change -- through the very concrete dilemma of aquifer depletion. It was a finalist for the National Book Award.

This monthly cohort discusses critical texts and seeks to feature a wide range of scholarly and artistic perspectives. Although the group is primarily a forum for graduate students in the humanities and related social sciences, all are welcome to join the conversation. Feel free to contact Rachel Cypher (cypher@sas.upenn.edu) for more information.