18.06, 6:15-7:45pm (online)

Johanna Kramm (Institute for Social-Ecological Research, Frankfurt am Main)

Chemosocial interdependencies - ways of knowing and deciding on toxicity

In my talk, I will urge geographers not only to consider landscapes and spaces in their interactions with society but also to take material processes, in particular biological and chemical processes, more explicitly into account. Through this lens, the chemosocial interdependencies of (toxic) chemicals with bodies, ecosystems, and atmospheres embedded in practices of knowing, perceiving, and experiencing move into the center of inquiry. Anthropogenic chemicals are the epitome of capitalistic growth and pollution. Taking the example of the so-called forever chemicals PFAS, I will explore time-space relations of regulatory science practices as ways of knowing and deciding on toxicity.