The Atmospheric Humanities Reading Group meets once a fortnight, on Tuesdays at 3pm in the Board Room, to explore aspects of the air, climate, and atmosphere in a variety of disciplinary contexts. Scholars working in HPS, history, philosophy, English, geography, and atmospheric and allied sciences are very welcome to join us to discuss a set of pre-circulated readings. For further information (including readings), or to be added to the mailing list, please contact the co-conveners Dr Fiona Amery (faa28@cam.ac.uk) and Thomas Banbury (tjb98@cam.ac.uk).
Michaelmas Term 2024
15 October
'Situating the Atmospheric Humanities' – An introductory session, focusing on approaches to the atmosphere in history of science, philosophy, geography, earth sciences, and other allied disciplines.
29 October
'Photographing the Atmosphere' – A discussion on the uses of photography and other forms of image-making in the history of atmospheric sciences, art, and media theory.
12 November
'Light' – Following on from the previous session, we discuss the role of light (and dark) in approaches to the atmosphere, including aurorae, cometary appearances, and light pollution and artificial illumination.
26 November
'Chromatic Atmospheres' – Our final session looks at the role of colour in the atmospheric humanities, including the development of optics and colour theory, scientific treatments of atmospheric phenomena such as rainbows and sunsets, and the cultural creation of 'sky-colour'.