Rachel Carson Center
The Rachel Carson Center for Environment and Society (RCC) is an international, interdisciplinary center for research and education in the environmental humanities and social sciences.
A nonprofit institution, the RCC was founded in 2009 as a joint initiative of Munich’s Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität and the Deutsches Museum, with the generous support of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
Our namesake is the American biologist, nature writer, and environmentalist Rachel Carson, whose accessible writing raised awareness worldwide about threats to the environment and human health. Learn more about the life and work of Rachel Carson here.
While we are based in Munich, Germany, our staff and fellows come from all over the world, and our working language is English.
Our Mission
Our mission is to advance research and discussion concerning the interaction between human agents and nature, and to strengthen the role of the humanities in current political and scientific debates about the environment.
By internationalizing the environmental humanities, we also aim to raise its profile as a globally significant and growing field.
Watch this film to learn more:
Or read a speech by RCC Academic Board Member Verena Winiwarter on the importance of the humanities for coping with today’s environmental challenges.
Our Research
We support and convene an interdisciplinary and international group of scholars who produce research on the complex relationship between nature and culture, with a particular focus on transformations in environment and society.