M.A. Benjamin Schmidt

About me

At the most fundamental level my research interests pertain to the relationship between humans and their environment and how it has evolved over time. How does it affect our culture and our society? What do concepts such as the Anthropocene say about the power dynamic between humanity and nature and how does climate change, an apocalyptical scenario of the former’s own making fit into this?

This line of inquiry inherently necessitates an interdisciplinary approach, which is also reflected in my academic training. Following a Joint Honours Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Geography at the University of Leeds, I studied Sustainability and International Development for three semesters at Utrecht University before completing my Master’s in the Study of Religion and Culture at the LMU in Munich.

My master’s thesis depicted the environmental apocalypse as grand narrative of the modern environmental movement. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to build on this work in the context of the Rachel Carson Center’s Environment & Society Doctoral Program, pursuing answers to a seemingly straightforward question: What does Climate Change represent to our (Western) Culture and Society and which factors complicate their capacity to process and respond to this apparent existential threat?