University News

Environmental Historian to Speak at WIU November 28

November 13, 2007

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MACOMB, IL - - Historical studies have moved beyond the lessons of time related to humans to include a multidisciplinary review of historical events and their broader impact on the environment, as well as the relationship between humans and nature.

Environmental historian Lisa Brady will present "The Nature of War and Peace: Local Challenges, Global Implications and Environmental History"at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28 in Currens Hall 205 at Western Illinois University. Her lecture is part of Western's University Theme, "Global Challenges and Personal Responsibility-Environmental Sustainability" 2007-2008 Speaker Series. A reception will follow; both are open free to the public.

An assistant professor of history at Boise State University, Brady will address the ways in which war and the environment intersect in order to broaden understanding of the causes, consequences and implications of war and peace. She will demonstrate the connection between military actions and environmental issues with three representative examples: the environmental consequences of the American Civil War; the process of decommissioned military bases and demilitarized zones becoming inadvertent wildlife refuges; and the debate over the role of oil in the first and second wars between the United States and Iraq.

Brady studies relationships between humans and nature and how their interactions have evolved over time and location. She has presented at the national meetings of the American Historical Association and the American Society for Environmental History. Her article, "Impact of Civil War," was published in the Environmental Atlas of the United States and Canada, and her current research focuses on the ways in which nature and gender have influenced the approaches to and outcomes of the American Civil War.

For more information on the University Theme Speaker Series, visit theme.wiu.edu. For more information on Brady's presentation, contact Lee Brice, history, telephone 309/298-2982, or e-mail LL-Brice@wiu.edu.

Posted By: Alisha Looney (AA-Looney@wiu.edu)
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