Geoheritage in the Medieval World

The increasing effects of climate change displace peoples from the lands they have long inhabited; at the same time, others cling to inhospitable lands, even in the face of pending, even ongoing, devastation. Community connection to local topography supersedes mere material possession; cultural memory imbues land with intangible value. “Geoheritage” reframes land as an active participant in human experience and draws attention to practices of reverence, stewardship, and preservation of natural phenomena.

While much discussion of climate and cultural heritage has focused on contemporary crises, the importance of land in the construction of myths and meanings long predates our modern moment. This session invites inquiry into the role of the environment in medieval culture across the globe, but with a localized lens. How did humans manage the challenges posed by their natural surroundings, and how is their experience reflected in the land forms we inherit today? What narratives–visual, oral, or material–did people construct around local natural phenomena? In a time when the natural order is in flux, what lessons can we learn from medieval symbioses between humans and their environments? Papers outside canonical medieval geographies are especially encouraged.

Potential topics include: medieval environmental stewardship, localized natural knowledge and its transmission, the protection of sites of religious importance, pre-modern agricultural practices, rupestrian and earthwork architecture, and medieval responses to changing climates.