(Centro de Estudios Hemisféricos y Polares, 2010) Hawkins, Adrian
This paper asks two questions. What can the history of Antarctica contribute to the field of environmental history? And
what can the field of environmental history offer our understanding of Antarctic history? Thinking about the environmental
history of Antarctica as both strange and familiar, the paper argues that the relative simplicity of Antarctica’s history offers
environmental historians an opportunity to think carefully about the theory and practice of their discipline. In turn, the
paper argues that the field of environmental history has much to offer our understanding of Antarctic history, using the
origins of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty as a brief example.