John McNeill reflects upon the role of historians in the work of the Anthropocene Working Group and the implications for historians of the debates surrounding the Anthropocene.

Historians and the Anthropocene. A discipline and an interdisciplinary concept

John McNeill, a member of the Anthropocene Working Group of the International Union of the Geological Sciences, reflects upon the role of historians in the work of the AWG and the implications for historians of the debates surrounding the Anthropocene. Does the Anthropocene require historians to reconsider their habits with respect to periodization, evidence, units of analysis, and subject matter?