Credit: Hartman, Steven, Peter Norrman, Anders Birgersson and Stephanie LeMenager. What Is Petroculture? Originally published in bifrostonline.org, 30 November 2017 (CC BY-SA 2.0)
How are cultural heritage and engagement under threat in the present era of accelerated climate change?
Stephanie LeMenager, environmental humanities scholar
Environmental humanities scholar Stephanie LeMenager discusses different ways in which culture in its various forms is at risk in the present era of accelerated climate change. Underlying conceptions of culture may themselves be endangered “when relabeled as energy within an economic paradigm.” In LeMenager’s framing the displacement of cultural identity, sovereignty and heritage through the physical loss of traditional homeland environments has some (perhaps unexpected) correspondences with threatened principles (philosophical, political and economic) of the Western liberal tradition. “There is no safety in a world of climate shift,” she asserts, “when culture itself is being deeply undermined.”
Bifrost gratefully acknowledges the leadership of the Sigtuna Foundation and the research network NIES for all their valuable support and work behind the scenes that helped make the interview excerpted in this video possible. Grateful acknowledgment is also made to Sigtunastiftelsen, where the interview was filmed.
