The Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, affiliated with Ludwig-Maximilians-University and the Deutsches Museum in Munich, invites paper proposals for a conference on the environmental history of mining, to be held at the Rachel Carson Center on June 23-25, 2011.

Mining is one of the oldest human activities. Mankind has dug holes to retrieve precious materials everywhere from the Yukon to the Australian outback, and the toll for the land, the workers, and the surrounding environment has often been heavy. Numerous conflicts have arisen from these effects.

The general goal of this conference is to take stock of the global history of mining (for metals, fuels and other materials) from an environmental viewpoint. Therefore, the organizers welcome proposals on mining anywhere in the world at any point in time. However, we particularly encourage proposals that offer one of the following:

- Comparisons between regions, states, or continents, or between different types of mining.
- Transregional or transnational perspectives which analyze mining as a global network.
- Perspectives on the rise of large mining conglomerates and their implications for the environment.
- Discussions of efficiency in mining as it relates to environmental issues.
- Mines as consumers of resources (such as wood or water).
- Case studies of how one form of mining replaced another.

Paper proposals should be sent by October 15 to both:

J.R. McNeill at: mcneillj@georgetown.edu
Frank Uekotter at: Frank.Uekoetter@carsoncenter.lmu.de

All participants are expected to provide a draft of their paper approximately eight weeks before the conference. We will circulate them in advance, and expect that participants have read them before the event.

The Rachel Carson Center will provide participants with a lump sum to cover the costs of travel and accommodation.