Non-human and Transnational History

There is a clear link between non-human and transnational history as looking at the non-human cuts across many of the categories which humans impose, such as the nation which form the basis for narrow studies of history. There is a long tradition of studying geographical features, and areas in history and transnational history is often based on networks which operate across these such as trade networks in a particular ocean. Environmental history has led to studies of what Andreas Malm calls climate in history which look at the impact on human history of climate events. An example of this is the case of the description of the 1783 eruption of the Laki volcano in Iceland. Such studies fit in to transnational history because their effects are felt across borders. Similar to the aims of other forms of transnational history the approach interrogates existing chronologies by using a different narrative centred on a non-human event and by creating the sense of simultaneous time across boundaries. It also challenges narratives based on centre and periphery which are built on human power structures. An alternative centre and periphery could be suggested by the immediate geographical impact and the wider impact as in the case of the Laki volcano with its lava flows and ash cloud. Andreas Malm refers to another type of history: history in climate. This would ask questions about how humanity has impacted climate and when this process began. Malm suggests this approach is of interest because one could investigate alternatives routes not taken that would not have led to a climate crisis and one could apportion blame and suggest motivation for the process which led to the crisis. Jason Moore’s articles also focus on the processes which caused the crisis, but rather than focussing on the use of fossil fuels as Malm does he highlights the importance of the early modern period of European expansion and suggests capitalocene as an alternative term to Anthropocene which better captures the origins of the crisis: specifically in the capitalist system rather than the vague reference to human responsibility.