Professor Libby Robin
Areas of expertise
- Historical Studies 2103
- History And Philosophy Of Specific Fields 2202
- Environmental Science And Management 0502
Research interests
Expertise for the Future Histories of environmental prediction and policy (2009-2014) Libby Robin, Sverker Soerlin and Paul Warde (project leaders) Outcomes will include two books: An anthology of sources, The Future of Nature: Documents of Global Change (October 2013 , Yale UP) and The Environment: A History (2015 in prep.) For details see website below.
History of Science in Australia and the region - Editor (with Rod Home), Historical Records of Australian Science (journal of the Australian Academy of Humanities: http://www.publish.csiro.au/?nid=108
Biological invasions and national identity ARC grant The Culture of Weeds LP120400273.Book in prep: Fear of Ferals
History of Arid Zone Science ARC Grant LP 110200742 Alive with the Dreaming!: The Songlines
Other themes: Conservation history and policy; Interdisciplinary environmental studies; The scientific aesthetic; Climate Change and the humanities; History of Ornithology in Australia
Environmental Humanities see
http://environmentalhumanities.org/
Biography
Libby Robin is an historian of science and environmental ideas. She is Professor at the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University and Senior Research Fellow at the National Museum of Australia's Research Centre. She is Guest Professor at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm in the Division of History of Science and Technology (2011-2014).
Libby has published widely in the history of science, international and comparative environmental history and the ecological humanities. She has won national prizes in History (How a Continent Created a Nation), in Zoology (Boom and Bust), and in literature (Flight of the Emu).
Libby also coordinates the Australian and New Zealand Environmental History Network, and is vice President of the International Consortium of Environmental History Organizations. She is co-editor with Professor Rod Home of the Historical Records of Australian Science.
In November 2013, she was elected Fellow of the Australian Academy of Humanities.
Researcher's projects
Climate Change and the humanities
Collecting the Future: A project exploring the idea of Museums in the Anthropocene (with Kirsten Wehner National Museum of Australia and Jennifer Newell American Museum of Natural History, and several other international partners). Workshop AMNH October 2013. Book: Collecting the Future (Newell, Robin and Wehner eds., Routledge) in prep.
Environmental humanities: Libby Robin 2012, 'Global Ideas in Local Places: The Humanities in Environmental Management', Environmental Humanities, vol. 1, pp. 69-84
Environmental Humanities (series editor with Iain McCalman), Routledge.
Expertise for the Future (international project with KTH Environmental Humanities Laboratory, Stockholm): Conferences, workshops and two major books:
Libby Robin, Sverker Sörlin and Paul Warde (eds) The Future of Nature: Documents of Global Change (Yale University Press, 2013) WINNER 2013 New England Book Prize for Anthology
Paul Warde, Sverker Sörlin and Libby Robin The Environment: A History (in prep).
Anthropocene:
Libby Robin 2013. ‘Histories for Changing Times: Entering the Anthropocene?’, Australian Historical Studies, 44(3): 329-340 DOI: 10.1080/1031461X.2013.817455.
Libby Robin ‘The Future Beyond Numbers’ in Nina Möllers and Christian Schwägel (eds.) The Anthropocene / Anthropozien Munich: Verlag Deutsches Museum [English and German] [forthcoming 2014, in association with exhibition]
Libby Robin and Will Steffen, 2007. ‘History for the Anthropocene’, History Compass, 5(5): 1694–1719; doi:10.1111/j.1478-0542.2007.00459.x
Member of the Anthropocene Curriculum Project HKW Berlin 2014.
The Observatory Project (Mellon Foundation) with Iain McCalman (University of Sydney)
Climate and Culture in Australia (ARC Grant 2002-2005) Tim, Sherratt, Tom Griffiths and Libby Robin (eds) A change in the weather: Climate and culture in Australia, Canberra: National Museum of Australia Press. 2005 http://www.nma.gov.au/about_us/publications/a_change_in_the_weather/
Biological invasions:
Culture of Weeds ARC Project LP120200472 (with industry partners National Museum of Australia and Royal Melbourne Botanic Gardens). Book in prep: Libby Robin Fear of Ferals
Comparative studies between Australia and South Africa (with Jane Carruthers, University of South Africa). See: Libby Robin and Jane Carruthers 2012, 'National identity and international science: the case of <em>Acacia</em>', <em>Historical Records of Australian Science</em> 23(1) 34-54 http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/HR12002 ; Jane Carruthers and Libby Robin, ‘Taxonomic imperialism in the battles for Acacia: Identity and science in South Africa and Australia’, Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa 65(1), 48-64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00359191003652066
History of Arid Zone Science
Alive with the Dreaming!: Songlines of the Seven Sisters LP110200743 (with National Museum of Australia and nine Aboriginal corporations).
Also: Libby Robin, Robert Heinsohn and Leo Joseph (eds) 2009. Boom and Bust: Bird Stories for a Dry Country, Melbourne, CSIRO Publishing. http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/6009.htm
History of Science in Australia. Historical Records of Australian Science (Coeditor, with R.W. Home) http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/108.htm
Science and National Identity Libby Robin 2007. How a Continent Created a Nation, Sydney, UNSW Press. http://www.unswpress.com.au/isbn/0868408913.htm
Interdisciplinary environmental studies
International bioregionalism: Libby Robin 2012. ‘Seasons and Nomads: Reflections on Bioregionalism in Australia’ in Tom Lynch, Cheryll Glotfelty and Karla Armbruster (eds.) The Bioregional Imagination: Literature, Ecology, and Place, Georgia FL, University of Georgia Press, pp 278-294.
Conservation history and policy Libby Robin, Christopher R. Dickman and Mandy Martin (eds) Desert Channels: The Impulse to Conserve, Melbourne, CSIRO Publishing. 2010 http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/6406.htm
Australian cases: Grafton, R. Q. Libby Robin and R. J. Wasson (eds), Understanding the Environment: Bridging the Disciplinary Divides, Sydney: UNSW Press. 2005 http://www.unswpress.com.au/isbn/086840912X.htm
The scientific aesthetic Mandy Martin, Libby Robin and Mike Smith, Strata: Deserts Past, Present and Future, Mandurama: Mandy Martin with Land and Water Australia. 2005 http://fennerschool.anu.edu.au/publications/books/strata.php
History of Ornithology in Australia
Libby Robin 2012, 'Conservation through Knowledge: A Short History of the First National Ornithologists' Society in Australia', in W.E. Davis, H.F. Recher, W.E. Boles (ed.), <em>Contributions to the History of Australasian Ornithology</em>, Nuttall Ornithological Club, USA, pp. 1-49.
Libby Robin, 2001. The Flight of the Emu: A hundred years of Australian ornithology 1901-2001, Carlton: Melbourne University Press. http://catalogue.mup.com.au/978-0-522-84987-5.html
Available student projects
As per the normal practice in the humanities, prospective students propose projects to me for consideration.
Current student projects
Current ANU Doctoral Scholars
- Kate Andrews 'Learning from the history of agricultural development in Northern Australia'
- Virginia Brunton 'A History of Compost'
- Ted Deveson 'Australian locust ecology. A history of outbreaks, government responses and ecological research'
- Sonya Duus 'Controversies around coal mining in Australia'
- Diane Erceg 'Tourism in Antarctica'
- Kathryn Medlock 'Thylacine collections in museums'
- Rob Nugent 'The Anthropocene in film'
- Alison Pouliot 'Exploring fungi'
- David Salt 'Resilience thinking in Agricultural Investments in Biodiversity' (supervisory panel, Crawford School)
- Alan Williams Aboriginal Population Dynamics and their Response to Climate Change through Prehistory'
- Sharon Willoughby 'Gardening the Australian Landscape'
RECENT GRADUATES:
Cameron Muir 'Broken Country: Science, Agriculture and the "Unfulfilled Dreams" of Inland Australia 1880-present' (Graduated December 2011)
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Graduated (2012) Fei Sheng ('Fisher') 'Chinese environmental ideas in 19th century goldfields Australia' (Peking University)
Past student projects
Cameron Muir
Daniel Connell Water politics in the Murray-Darling Basin Federation Press 2007
George Main Heartland: the regeneration of rural place UNSW Press 2005
Bernadette Hince 'Environmental history of subantarctic islands' (Îles Kerguelen, Île Saint-Paul, McDonald, Heard, Macquarie, Auckland and Campbell Islands) (Unpub. thesis 2006)
Publications
- Robin, L 2013, 'Histories for Changing Times: Entering the Anthropocene?', Australian Historical Studies, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 329-340.
- Robin, L 2013, Little Desert - When Diversity Won, pp. 44-46.
- Robin, L 2013, 'The Love-Hate Relationship with Land in Australia: Presenting "Exploitation and Sustainability" in Museums', Nova Acta Leopoldina, vol. 390, pp. 47-63.
- Robin, L., Sörlin S. and Warde P. (eds) The Future of Nature: Documents of Global Change, New Haven: Yale University Press 2013 (565pp.) (WINNER 2013 New England Book Prize for Anthologies)
- Robin, Libby 2013, 'Being first: Why the Americans needed it, and why Royal National Park didn't stand in their way', Australian Zoologist, vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 321-331.
- Robin, Libby 2012, 'Australia in Global Environmental History', in J.R. McNeill and E.S. Mauldin (ed.), A Companion to Global Environmental History, Wiley-Blackwell, UK, pp. 182-195.
- Robin, Libby 2012, 'Global Ideas in Local Places: The Humanities in Environmental Management', Environmental Humanities, vol. 1, pp. 69-84.
- Robin, Libby 2012, 'Conservation through Knowledge: A Short History of the First National Ornithologists' Society in Australia', in W.E. Davis, H.F. Recher, W.E. Boles (ed.), Contributions to the History of Australasian Ornithology, Nuttall Ornithological Club, USA, pp. 1-49.
- Robin, Libby 2011, 'Perceptions of Place and Deep Time in the Australian Desert: Using Art in Environmental History', in Timo Myllyntaus, Perti Gronholm, Laura Hollsten, Jaro Julkunen, Aino Laine (ed.), Thinking Through the Environment:Green Approaches to Global History, The White Horse Press, Cambridge UK, pp. 81-99.
- Robin, Libby 2011, 'The rise of the idea of biodiversity: crises, responses and expertise', in (ed.), Quaderni, Maison des sciences de l'homme, France, pp. 25-37.
- Robin, Libby 2012. Seasons and Nomads: Reflections on Bioregionalism in Australia in Tom Lynch, Cheryll Glotfelty and Karla Armbruster (eds.) The Bioregional Imagination: Literature, Ecology, and Place, Georgia FL, University of Georgia Press, pp 278-294.
- Robin, Libby and Jane Carruthers 2012, 'National identity and international science: the case of Acacia', Historical Records of Australian Science 23(1) 34-54.
- Robin, Libby 2011. History for Global Anxiety, in The Future of Environmental History: Needs and Opportunities (RCC Perspectives 2011, Issue 3) [eds: Kimberly Coulter and Christof Mauch], Munich: Germany, pp. 41-44
- Carruthers, J., Robin, L., Hattingh, J., Kull, C.; Rangan, H. and van Wilgen, B.W. 2011. A native at home and abroad: the history, politics, ethics and aesthetics of Acacia, Diversity and Distributions 17(5) September pp. 810-821.
- Robin, Libby 2011, 'The global challenge of climate change', reCollections: Journal of the National Museum of Australia, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 1-8.
- Robin, Libby, Dickman, C & Martin, M, eds, 2010, Desert channels: the Impulse to Conserve, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood.
- Carruthers, J & Robin, Libby 2010, 'Taxonomic imperialism in the battles for Acacia: Identity and science in South Africa and Australia', Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa, vol. 65, no. 1, pp. 48-64.
- Robin, Libby, Heinsohn, R & Joseph, L, eds, 2009, Boom and Bust: Bird Stories for a Dry Country, CSIRO Publishing, Canberra.
- Robin, Libby 2011, 2009, 'New Science for Sustainability in an Ancient Land', in Sverker Sorlin and Paul Warde (ed.), Nature's End: History and the Environment, Palgrave MacMillan, London, pp. 188-211. (new edition 2011)
- Robin, Libby 2008, 'The Eco-humanities as Literature: A New Genre?', Australian Literary Studies , vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 290-304.
- Robin, Libby 2007, How a Continent Created a Nation, University of New South Wales Press Ltd, Sydney.
- Robin, Libby & Steffen, W 2007, 'History for the Anthropocene', History Compass , vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 1694-1719.
- Robin, L, Moore, J, Willoughby, S et al 2011, 'Aliens from the Garden', State of Australian Cities, State of Australian Cities, http://soac2011.com.au/full-papers-list.php, pp. 1-10.
- Robin, Libby 2011. "Perceptions of place and deep time in the Australian desert: using art in environmental history" in Timo Myllyntaus (ed) Thinking through the Environment , Cambridge: White Horse Press, 81-99
- Robin, Libby 2010, 'Battling the Land and Global Anxiety; Science, Environment and Identity in Settler Australia', PAN: Philosophy Activism Nature , vol. 7, pp. 3-9.
- Carruthers, J, Robin, L, Hattingh, J et al 2011, 'A native at home and abroad: The history, politics, ethics and aesthetics of acacias', Diversity and Distributions, vol. 17, no. 5, pp. 810-821.
- Robin, Libby 2010, 'Wattle', in Melissa Harper and Richard White (ed.), Symbols of Australia: Uncovering the stories behind the myths, UNSW Press, Sydney, Australia, pp. 115-120.
- Robin, Libby & Carruthers, J 2011, 'Introduction: Environmental History and the History of Biology', Journal of the History of Biology, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 1-14.
- Robin, Libby 2009, 'Dead Museum Animals: Natural order or cultural chaos?', reCollections: Journal of the National Museum of Australia, vol. 4, no. 2 (October 2009), pp. 17 pages.
- Robin, Libby & Smith, M 2008, 'Australian Environmental History: Ten Years On', Environment and History, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 135-143.
- Robin, Libby 2007, 'Living with Lyrebirds', Kunapipi: journal of postcolonial writing, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 126-134.
- Sweet, P, Duckworth, J, Trombone, T et al 2007, 'The Hall collection of birds from Wonsan, central Korea, in spring 1903', Forktail, vol. 23, no. August 2007, pp. 129-134.
- Robin, Libby 2007, 'Frith, Harold James (Harry) (1921 - 1982)', in Di Langmore (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography (Vol 18), Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, pp. 413-415.
- Robin, Libby & Smith, M 2007, 'Science in place and time: archaeology, ecology and enrionmental history', in Chris Dickman, Daniel Lunney and Shelly Burgin (ed.), Animals of Arid Australia, Royal Zoological Society of NSW, Mosman, NSW Australia, pp. 188-196.
- Fischer, J, Manning, A, Steffen, W et al 2007, 'Mind the sustainability gap', Trends in Ecology and Evolution, vol. 22, no. 12, pp. 621-624.
- Robins, Libby & Dovers, S 2007, 'Community-based NRM boards of management: are they up to the task?', Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, vol. 14, pp. 111-122.
- Robin, Libby 2007, 'Ecology and identity: Australians caring for deserts', in David Callahan (ed.), Australi, Who Cares?, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, pp. 85-106.
- Sherren, K & Robin, Libby 2006, 'A curriculum for a Cause?', in Walter Leal Filho and David Carpenter (ed.), Sustainability in the Australasian University Context, Peter Lang Publishing Group, Freiburg, pp. 33-44.
- Robin, Libby & Carruthers, J 2006, 'Two Gentlemen of Verona: Fulmars, Rooks and Orcadian Dreams', Wingspan, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 22-23.
- Robin, Libby 2005, 'The Platypus frontier: eggs, Aborigines and empire in 19th century Queensland', in Deborah Bird Rose and Richard Davis (ed.), Dislocating the Frontier: Essaying the mystique of the outback, ANU ePress, Canberra, pp. 99-120.
- Robin, Libby & Donaldson, C 2005, 'Introduction to Desert Gardens', Desert Gardens: Waterless Lands and the problems of Adaptation, ed. Libby Robin, Conference Organising Committee, Canberra, pp. 1-5.
- Robin, Libby 2005, 'Migrants and nomads: seasoning zoological knowledge in Australia', in T Sherratt, T Griffiths, L Robin (ed.), A Change in the Weather: Climate and Culture in Australia, National Museum of Australia Press, Canberra Australia, pp. 42-53.
- Robin, Libby & Connell, D 2005, 'History and the environment', in R.Q.Grafton, L.Robin & RJ Wasson (ed.), Understanding the environment: bridging the disciplinary divides, University of New South Wales Press Ltd, Sydney, pp. 8-22.
- Grafton, R & Robin, Libby 2005, 'Bridging the divides', in R.Q.Grafton, L.Robin & RJ Wasson (ed.), Understanding the environment: bridging the disciplinary divides, University of New South Wales Press Ltd, Sydney, pp. 184-201.
- Grafton, R & Robin, Libby 2005, 'Understanding the environment: Bridging the disciplinary divides', in R.Q.Grafton, L.Robin & RJ Wasson (ed.), Understanding the environment: bridging the disciplinary divides, University of New South Wales Press Ltd, Sydney, pp. 1-7.
- Grafton, R, Robin, Libby & Wasson, R, eds, 2005, Bridging the Disciplinary Divides, University of New South Wales Press Ltd, Sydney.
- Robin, Libby & Griffiths, T 2004, 'Environmental history in Australasia', Environment and History , vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 439-474.
- Robin, Libby 2003, 'Collections and the nation: science, history and the National Museum of Australia', Historical Records of Australian Science, vol. 14, pp. 251-289.
- Robin, Libby 2002, 'Nationalising nature: Wattle Days in Australia', Journal of Australian Studies, vol. 73, pp. 13-26.
- Robin, Libby 2002, 'An Emu for a nation: a centenary reflection on the journal and its discipline', Emu, vol. 102, pp. 1-7.
- Robin, Libby 2001, The flight of the emu: a hundred years of Australian ornithology 1901-2001, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne.
- Robin, Libby 2001, 'International ornithology comes to Australia', Historical Records of Australian Science, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 233-254.
- Robin, Libby 2001, 'Woolly identities', in D. A. Low (ed.), Keith Hancock: the legacies of an historian, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, pp. 201-212.
Projects and Grants
- The culture of weeds: Invasion biology, identity and aesthetics in Australia (Primary Investigator)
- Producing Biodiversity: a History of Science in Australia's Desert Lands (Primary Investigator)
- The Human Elements: A Cultural History of Australian Weather (Secondary Investigator)
- Nature and Nation: Science, Environment and National Identity in Australia (Primary Investigator)
