“Earth, Sea, Sky” is a research network collaborating with the Oecologies Network. It has and will continue to foster new international dialogue in studies of medieval and early modern literature and visual culture. Its central aim is to examine the varied and contested premodern approaches to the natural world, as well as how this premodern archive resonates with contemporary concerns around environmental degradation and global warming. This research network is a multi-year, ongoing project begun in 2019. It began in 2019 with a study of “Earth” in a symposium held at Oxford University. It next turned to an analysis of human relationships to the “Sea” and coastal environments in a series of virtual reading groups and a concluding symposia sponsored by a grant from the University of California Humanities Institute (2020-2022). Next up, the working group will be exploring “Sky,” with support from the University of British Columbia and the Clark Library at UCLA.
Earth
An Interdisciplinary Conference was held at Oxford University, UK in 2019/2020. Click the link to learn more about the 2019 Earth Conference.
Sea
An Interdisciplinary Conference was hosted by the UC Davis Bodega Marine Lab in 2022. This event was sponsored by a grant award from UCHRI.
Sky
An Interdisciplinary Conference was hosted by the Clark Library at UCLA in January 2026. Click the link to learn more about the Sky Conference
Upcoming Earth, Sea, Sky Events
Past Earth, Sea, Sky Events
Fall Sky Event: In Between Sea and Sky
The Middle Air, an “airy something,” and How Air Matters in the Early Modern Era Saturday October 15th from 10:30-12:00PDTZoom Led by: Tiffany Jo Werth For readings and details, please RSVP by October 12th to kschuhmacher@ucdavis.edu.
Spring Sea Event
Friday April 22nd from 10:30-12:00PDTZoom Co-led by: Tiffany Jo Werth and Andrés Reséndez The final “Sea” reading group will explore the narrative and history behind Sir Francis Drake’s “Fair and Good Bay” and his alleged landing on the North American coast near present day Point Reyes, CA. For readings and details, please RSVP by Friday…
Winter Sea to Sky Event
Friday February 18th from 10:30-12:00PST Zoom Hosted by: Vin Nardizzi, University of British Columbia Readings:Calhoun, Alison, “What Cloud Machines Tell us About Early Modern Emotions,” Renaissance Quarterly, 68, no. 2 (2021): 102-113.Daston, Lorraine, “Cloud Physiognomy,” Representations, 135, no. 1 (2016): 45-71.Peters, John Durham. “The Times and Seasons: Sky Media II (Kairos).” In The Marvelous Clouds:…
Want to Learn More?
If you’d like to be added to the Earth, Sea, Sky listserv to stay up-to-date on future events, please email Kirsten Schuhmacher at kirsten.schuhmacher@uconn.edu.
- Earth Image: Portion of “The Tree of Life,” First half of the 17th century. Canvas worked with silk thread; tent, Gobelin, and couching stitches. Met Museum, New York. http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/229006
- Sea Image: Portion of “Water,” Adriaen Collaert, after Maerten de Vos, 1580 – 1584. Hand-colored engraving. https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/RP-P-BI-6065
- Sky Image: Top Portion of “Lucht,” Adriaen Collaert, after Maerten de Vos, 1580 – 1584. Hand-colored engraving. https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/RP-P-BI-6065
Oecologies 