Awarded the 7th Biophilia Prize in Environmental Humanities and Social Sciences, Thom van Dooren explores in this interview how the environmental humanities can provide new tools to interpret the contemporary ecological crisis. Through his research on endangered species—from birds to less visible invertebrates—he examines how extinctions are not only biological processes, but also events shaped by social, historical, and cultural meanings. Van Dooren advocates for the power of storytelling and ethical reflection to deepen our sensitivity toward other forms of life and to foster frameworks of shared responsibility in a world marked by accelerating biodiversity loss and an increasingly complex geopolitical context.
Thom van Dooren receives the award for what the committee describes as his “central role” in “understanding and addressing species extinction.” The work of the Sydney Univers
Awarded the 7th Biophilia Prize in Environmental Humanities and Social Sciences, Thom van Dooren explores in this interview how the environmental humanities can provide new tools to interpret the contemporary ecological crisis. Through his research on endangered species—from birds to less visible invertebrates—he examines how extinctions are not only biological processes, but also events shaped by social, historical, and cultural meanings. Van Dooren advocates for the power of storytelling and ethical reflection to deepen our sensitivity toward other forms of life and to foster frameworks of shared responsibility in a world marked by accelerating biodiversity loss and an increasingly complex geopolitical context.
Thom van Dooren receives the award for what the committee describes as his “central role” in “understanding and addressing species extinction.” The work of the Sydney University professor has, it says, made fundamental contributions in conveying the “value and significance of biodiversity,” and “providing an ethical and philosophical reframing of humanity’s relationship with nature.”
00:00 Introduction
00:06 How do you define the environmental humanities, and why do you believe this multidisciplinary field is necessary to address the global environmental crisis?
01:50 The jury highlighted your central role in shaping the understanding of extinction and the global biodiversity crisis. In what ways do you think your work has contributed to this?
06:00 How did your interest in nature begin, and why did you ultimately decide to pursue research in the environmental humanities?
09:12 The jury also noted that your work has helped rethink the relationship between humanity and nature. In what sense do you believe this is the case?
15:40 Why is it important to analyze the cultural meanings of species and extinctions across different societies? How can this type of research contribute to improving biodiversity conservation efforts?
22:46 Your first book recounted the stories of several endangered birds in a way that, according to the jury, defined a central role for the humanities in responding to the extinction crisis. How did it do so?
28:21 How has your more recent work, on the disappearance of snails, contributed to a better understanding of extinctions in their social, historical, and cultural context?
33:13 What are you currently working on, and what future projects in the field of environmental humanities do you foresee in the coming years?
35:46 How do you assess the challenge of the environmental crisis within today’s particularly complex geopolitical context?
38:27 How can the environmental humanities—and in particular the kind of storytelling that characterizes your work—help raise awareness of the environmental crisis and contribute to social and political action to address it?
42:30 How do you see the future of the environment and humanity’s relationship with the natural world? Are you optimistic that we are still in time to avoid the worst scenarios of the global environmental crisis?
45:23 What does receiving the Biophilia Award mean to you?
