John McNeill - College of Arts & Sciences and School of Foreign Service

Georgetown University Faculty in Research

Dr. John McNeill is a University Professor in the School of Foreign Service and the Department of History. He teaches world history, environmental history, and international history at Georgetown, and also directs Ph.D. students, mainly in environmental history. John is considered by many to be a pioneer in the field of environmental history. He has written six books, the most notable being his work from 2000 titled, Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World, which argues that human activity during the 20th century led to environmental damage on an unprecedented scale. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017, and elected President of the American Historical Association for 2019. Table of Contents: :00: Intro 1:18: What do academics get out of their activity in a professional association? 3:28: What are the big issues facing AHA right now? 4:10: Has the mistreatment of historians gotten worse recently around the world, in terms of harassment, imprisonments, etc.? 6:46: Are there those presenting their work which changes the interpretation of history who are not certified historians? Or are they presenting their work elsewhere? 7:51: How have you seen history as an outward looking field? 10:17: It seems there will be a period where a historian will have both documents and genetic information available, which would allow for interesting observations? 11:32: In your own history, can you recall the intrigue you initially brought to your choice of subfield in environmental history? 14:25: So what would have happened if you hadn’t done the marine biological appointment? 15:21: It seems it was an unanticipated post-doc which allowed for a lot of interdisciplinary experience? 15:50: Students are often curious about how faculty find an area that becomes a lifelong motivating force? How do you describe the eras of your own career and what keeps driving you? 18:01: Does your focus lead you into more collaborations? 19:24: Give us some insight into the activities of the Anthropocene Working Group? How does this cooperation happen effectively? 20:24: What are you working on now? 22:13: Conclusion Music: Main Theme: Corporate Technology by Scott Holmes Background: Horizon Soundscapes by RF Soundtracks