The Medieval Art of Living Well in a Changing Climate

Event Details

It may come as a surprise that medieval thinkers, writers, and artists reflected on climate change. This talk explores a few of the ways that medieval Europeans thought about living in an ecologically precarious world and suggests how their insights might help us navigate living in our own changing environment. It begins by discussing how medieval Christianity shaped ideas about the relationship between human beings and nature. It then turns to how medieval thinkers interpreted environmental disasters – floods, earthquakes, and storms. And it concludes by reflecting on the surprising ways that medieval thinking about nature might help us approach the challenges of our ecologically precarious times with compassion and care.

This event is free but you are encouraged to register in advance at the link above.

Shannon Gayk is an associate professor of English at Indiana University and the author of many articles and books on medieval religious art and literature. She is currently completing a book called Apocalyptic Ecologies: Medieval Literature and Environmental Imagination. She also holds appointments in the Integrated Program in the Environment and the Department of Religion.