The topics of history, geography and environmental studies will come together Thursday night in a free, slide-illustrated lecture given by University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor William Cronon.
In “Telling Tales on Canvas: Landscapes of Frontier Change,” Cronon will investigate 19th century American landscape painting and its relation to the human view of nature during that time. The lecture will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Room 177 of Lawrence Hall.”Cronon is one of the leaders, if not the leader, in the discipline of environmental studies,” University landscape architecture professor Kenny Helphand said. “His books are provocative, important and beautifully expressed.”
Cronon’s lecture is part of the Oregon Humanities Center’s 2000-2001 Robert D. Clark series, an endowed lecture program that seeks to promote public discussion on the natural sciences, the history of Oregon and the interface between science and social and cultural affairs.
“Anybody interested in the American West from any point of view, whether literally or legally, would benefit from the lecture,” Helphand said.
A professor of history, geography and environmental studies, Cronon is considered by many University professors to be one of the most influential thinkers in the field of environmental studies. His has written several books on the impact of human development on different landscapes, which have been criticized by some environmentalists and scholars.
“I believe that the controversy has a lot to do with critics misunderstanding the way Cronon talks about wilderness,” said Peter Walker, a University geography professor.According to Walker, critics focus parts of Cronon’s essay “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature” that they believe puts wilderness areas in a negative light.
In addition to the fields of environmental studies and geography, Cronon’s work also applies to landscape architecture, art history and American history.
The combination of disciplines that Cronon’s work embodies is the main reason why Julia Heydon, associate director of Oregon Humanities, invited him to speak. “He is someone who bridges the gap between the humanities and the social sciences,” Heydon said. “He is someone of interest for a number of people.”
The humanistic prospective that Cronon takes in his research could also be useful to individuals in the areas of the physical sciences, such as biology and chemistry, Walker said.