I've been recently engaging with the popular notion that "environmentalism" as a political or social movement only emerged in North America following the publication of Rachael Carson's Silent Spring in 1962. In contrast to this idea, authors such as Jefferson Cowie and Andrew Hurley have recently written on the long tradition of working-class environmentalism that dates at least back to the period of industrial expansion in the late-1800s. I'll leave it open: why does the popular conception of "environmentalism" revolve around the prevailing middle-class activist model and ignore longstanding alternative activism(s) like battles for workplace safety, compensation for illnesses, or community issues surrounding local waterways? Just something I've been mulling over as an intersection between labour and environmental history practice.

It seems to me like history's greatly benefited from interdisciplinary approaches, especially by co-opting literature, anthropology, sociology, economics, but when it comes to some important discussions such as body & sexuality for example (I gender a social construct, to what extent can it be said to be that?), I feel like biology & psychology should be first port of call, which doesn't seem to be happening as far as I know. Or do I have it wrong?