South-West Environmental Humanities Laboratory
Tackling environmental issues from a humanities perspective
Environmental problems by and large arise out of human action. This means that addressing them calls for not only scientific knowledge, but an understanding of human subjectivities, particularly as they relate to nature.
Our lab works on significant contemporary environmental problems concerning south-western Australia. Work currently in progress explores urban water and wetlands, Wheatbelt sustainability, and the Great Western Woodlands.
The South-West Environmental Humanities Laboratory is an innovative initiative bringing together methods from the sciences and the humanities. Our work is project-based and experimental and uses interdisciplinary teams to solve problems and investigate complex situations, including a project on water and the history of Australian Urbanisation funded by the Australian Research Council.
From the sciences we seek to draw on knowledge from:
- plant and animal biology
- climate and soil science
- agriculture
- oceanography
From humanities we draw on the disciplines of:
- history
- literary studies
- philosophy
- Indigenous studies
- human geography
- anthropology
Goals
Bringing together data and stories relating to contemporary environmental issues
Delivering ready-to-use, high-impact visual and narrative resources held in the intellectual commons
Westerly Centre
The Westerly Centre is a national and international centre for publication and research in Australian and Asian writing.
Read moreEcoPeoPle
This group brings together scholars in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences at UWA who share an interest in the relationships between societies and environments, past, present and future.
Read moreGet involved
We welcome collaborations from community groups, research entities, and the private and public sector. Contact us on the details below.
