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<div align="center"><b><i> <br>
MIT Seminar on Environmental <br>
and Agricultural History<br>
</i> <br>
</b>David Blackbourn, Coolidge Professor of History,<br>
Harvard University<br><br>
<b><i> <br>
“The Conquest of Nature: Water, Landscape, and the Making of Modern
Germany”<br>
<br>
</i></b></div>
David Blackbourn will be discussing issues that arise from The Conquest
of Nature, which examines how Germans have transformed their landscape
since 1750 by draining marshes and moors, "correcting" the
course of rivers, building canals, and constructing dams in the high
valleys. The talk will draw out three themes. One is the social and
political water wars that accompanied these changes, the clashes of
interest over rival uses of water resources. Secondly, the talk discusses
the unintended environmental consequences, but also asks whether familiar
"pessimistic" accounts are adequate. Thirdly, in talking about
landscape, David Blackbourn argues for bringing together the cultural
history of constructs and the material history of physical
place.<br><br>
<div align="center"><b>Friday, March 16, 2007<br>
2:30 to 4:30 pm<br>
Building E51 Room 095<br>
</b> <br>
Sponsored by MIT’s History Faculty and the Program in Science,
Technology, and Society<br>
For more information or to be put on the mailing list, please contact
Margo Collett at
<a href="mailto:mcollet@mit.edu">mcollett@mit.edu</a><br>
For location visit
<a href="http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg" eudora="autourl"><u>
http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg<br>
</a></u></div>
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