Exercise #2: Family Environmental History
Instructions
For Exercise #2, you will bring the environmental concepts home by looking at your own and your family environmental history.
Our lives and present environments are products of history. Our parents and grandparents grew up in very different environments from those of today. In our study of environmental history, it is helpful to think about our families’ past environments and their meaning for us today.
- Write an informal essay, between 700 and 1100 words, reflecting on your personal environmental history going back to your grandparents, parents, and your own generation. See the Exercise 2 Samples for a guide to this exercise.
- In formulating your response, consider the environments in which they and you have lived. Where were they located? What natural resources sustained your families and their communities? To what extent were those environments “natural” or human-made, native, or exotic (that is, transformed by European or other non-native species)? How have your families helped to transform their environments? Does your own ethnic and class heritage or gender play a role in the way you and your family have related to and valued the environment? How did the relationships your grandparents and parents had with their environments differ from the ones you have had in the past and wish to have in the future?
- Post your response by clicking ‘Add Submission’ below.
- Please note, you should write and edit your submission in a separate file then copy and paste it into the submission box. Once submitted to the HIST 3991 trubox site, you will not be able to edit your post.
Are you a student of HIST 3991? Click here to add a submission to this assignment.
Submissions
Family Environmental History
September 20, 2024 By: Josie Bates
Professor Norman Fennema HIST 3991: Environmental History Josie Bates September 19th 2024 I live in Kelowna BC with my husband, our two young children, and our dog. My husband and I were born and raised here, and so were both of my parents. My mother’s parents emigrated to Canada from Holland in 1953 and my father’s parents moved to Kelowna in 1965 from Lister BC. My maternal grandparents were both 21 when they emigrated to Canada from a small village in North Holland; shortly after emigrating, they bought a home on a 32-acre apple and pear orchard, where they raised…
Exercise #2
September 11, 2024 By: Jordan W
Exercise #2: Family Environmental History My heritage is a mix of European roots. On my dad’s side, our Swiss-German ancestors came to Canada in 1756 to colonize Nova Scotia. I’m not sure what else transpired between that time, but my paternal grandfather moved to Toronto and met my grandmother, who had an Irish background. On my mother’s side: I am a mix of Welsch and Austrian, but unsure of when folks came to Canada – at least two generations ago. I have always considered myself a multi-generational “Canadian” (not trying to be a nationalist) and of European settlers. I was…
Exercise 2: Personal Enviromental History at Shanghai City
August 19, 2024 By: Jiaqi(Ryan) Shi
Prof. Mark Butorac HIST3991 Enviromental History Jiaqi(Ryan) Shi Aug 19,2024 My family and I lived in a small town in northwest China when I was very young. Then we moved to Shanghai City where is located in southeast of China. I’d like to show you the different environments in the same city that were experienced by my parents, grandparents and I. We also have different points of view in treating the environment. The Yangtze and Yellow rivers are known as the two most important rivers in China. They are providing abundant fresh water resources for thousands of Chinese people. Shanghai,…
Personal Environmental History
August 7, 2024 By: Sam Al-Alimi
The historical environments of my family have been within the same country, but has included living in villages, towns, and cities. While both sides of my family lived in similar environments, I will focus on my father’s side of the family because I have more information, and I have visited the village of my father twice. The ancestors of my father were originally from the city of Marib. During the 6th century, the collapse of the famous Marib dam forced people out of the capital city of the Sheba kingdom and my ancestors moved to southern west Yemen and settled…
My Personal Environmental History of Yongsan-gu
July 11, 2024 By: Jinsu Kim
I live in Yongsan-gu, a district located in the heart of Seoul, South Korea. The name “Yongsan” means “Dragon Mountain,” reflecting the hilly terrain that once characterized much of the area. As I explore the environmental history of my neighborhood through the experiences of my family across three generations, I’m struck by how dramatically this landscape has been transformed over the decades. My grandfather’s story begins in pre-war Yongsan. Even before the Korean War, the natural environment of Yongsan had already been significantly altered. During the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945), Yongsan served as a major military installation, with arsenals and…