Pacific Islands as Laboratories of the Anthropocene in German Nature Writing

• Project/Area Number: 25K03981
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02040:European literature-related
• Research Institution: Nihon University
• Principal Investigator: SCHWARZ Thomas 日本大学, 文理学部, 教授 (90744300)
• Project Period (FY): 2025-04-01 – 2028-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2025)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,550,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,050,000); Fiscal Year 2027: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000); Fiscal Year 2026: ¥2,470,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥570,000); Fiscal Year 2025: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
• Keywords: Anthropocene / Nature writing / climate / postcolonialism

Outline of Research at the Start

This project looks at how German writers have described Pacific Islands from the 18th century to today. It explores changing views of nature in an age shaped by humans and questions why Easter Island is often seen as a warning story about environmental destruction.