About
Fire is a part of the California landscape, and while many have come to dread fire season, this has not always been the case. “Fire: Past, Present and Future Interactions with the People and Ecosystems of California” (Anthropology C12AC / Environmental Science, Policy, and Management C22AC) presents a diachronic perspective on human-fire interactions with local ecosystems in California that spans over 10,000 years. The course provides a historical perspective on human-fire interactions at the landscape scale using a diverse range of data sources drawn from the fields of fire ecology, biology, history, anthropology, and archaeology. An important component includes examining how diverse cultures and ethnicities influenced how people perceived and used fire at the landscape scale in ancient, historical, and modern times. The implications of these diverse fire practices and policies will be analyzed, and the consequences they have had for transforming habitats and propagating catastrophic fires will be explored.
This course joins the expertise of Anthropology Professor Kent Lightfoot; Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Professor Scott Stephens; and Ethnic Studies Professor Peter Nelson. Jointly, they prompt students to investigate how our interactions with wildfires in California have changed dramatically over the centuries, and to learn from earlier management strategies — some of which may apply to our contemporary world. In collaboration with the community, Indigenous scholars are invited as guest speakers to share their perspectives with the class. Read More