Paper short abstract:

The concept and theory of Anthropocene has recently become a dominant theoretical model in environmental humanities and env. history. Capitalocene and Chthulucene are the most prominent critical alternatives to it. I criticise all tree from the points of environmental philosophy and env. history.

Paper long abstract:

I criticise the concepts of Anthropocene, Capitalocene and Chthulucene as theoretical positions to environmental history. I'm leaning on the older traditions of environmental philosophy and environmental history, which offer much more richer conceptual tools for understanding the complexity of environmental questions in general - and the special problems of environmental history.

The concept of Anthropocene originates from geology and does therefore not consider enough the social and ecological aspects of environmental history. In traditional environmental history, the key periods are formed from social and ecological transitions like the birth of agriculture, colonisation, industrialisation etc. The concept of Anthropocene does not add anything to this concrete basis for historical research. Also philosophically it is problematic because of its clear anthropocentrism. In environmental history, the agency of living nature must be equally important as human agency and therefore the theoretical position cannot be anthropocentric.

Capitalocene concentrates in the analysis of technological, economical and social changes and their environmental impacts in history. Leaning on Marxist ecology, it sees the roots of environmental problems in capitalistic mode of production. It seems to need some modification today: for example Fossil Capitalism and Green Capitalism are more nyanced concepts for environmental history.

Donna J. Haraway's Chthulucene is maybe the newest (2016) proposal to a 'Big Narrative' (Lyotard) for our time. It tries to formulate a more bio- or naturocentric position than A&C-cene. Leaning on old Gaia-mythology it stresses the symbiotic character of man/nature interaction (sympoiesis).