William Cronon: American Wilderness, Past, Present, and Future: A Historical Meditation

As we celebrate in 2014 the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Wilderness Act—which has protected more than 100 million acres of U.S. public land—it’s well worth pondering this remarkable achievement. What do we mean by “wilderness” in the Anthropocene? Cronon will trace the changing meanings of wilderness in American history, and argue for its ongoing importance today and in the future.