What do you mean by “epochal” change? Theorizing planetary transformations in the Social Sciences and Humanities

Although the social sciences and humanities have engaged extensively with the topic of the Anthropocene, much of this research has been conducted at a distance from “classical” geo-disciplines, which can provide valuable insights into the earth’s capacity for self-differentiation. More specifically, geological research into the Earth’s deep past points to magnitudes of planetary transformation (like epochal change) that are much more dramatic than is often assumed by critical social and environmental scholarship. This is particularly evident in the eight theses concerning the origins and trajectory of the Anthropocene that dominate discussions about the topic today. By comparing these theses to classical geology’s research on intervals of geologic time, epochal transformations, and the Earth’s capacity for self-differentiation, I argue that the critical scholarship on the Anthropocene must engage more closely with these geo-disciplines to develop more robust strategies for meeting the challenges of the current geo-historical conjuncture.