Reckless 'Curiousity' about Animals: King Philip II’s Escorial as Museum and Theater of the World
04 October 2023, 5:00 pm–7:00 pm

Dr John Beusterien’s talk examines King Philip II’s "curiousity" about animals as it plays a role in informing the ideological scaffolding that began the Anthropocene.
This event is free.
Event Information
Open to
- All | UCL staff | UCL students
Availability
- Yes
Cost
- Free
Organiser
-
Institute of Advanced Studies
Location
-
IAS Common GroundG11, Ground Floor, South Wing, Wilkins BuildingUCL, Gower Street, LondonWC1E 6BTUnited Kingdom
Philip II constructed the Escorial as a museum and theater of the world where he shaped animals into his own unfortunate version of a Spanish ecosystem.
Dr John Beusterien’s talk examines King Philip II’s "curiousity" about animals as it plays a role in informing the ideological scaffolding that began the Anthropocene.
This is a hybrid event: in-person at UCL and online via Zoom. Please choose the relevant ticket type when registering: https://reckless-curiousity.eventbrite.co.uk
This event is run jointly with UCL Anthropocene and UCL Early Modern Exchanges, part of the Institute of Advanced Studies.
Image credits: Detail of gilded silver ewer (1583) by Juan de Arfe (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City). The monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Shutterstock)
About the Speaker
John Beusterien
Professor of Spanish at Spanish Faculty, Texas Tech University
Current publications focus on the environmental humanities and classical Spanish theater. He is also developing Lubbock Waters to educate about the ecosystem of the southern high plains. Beusterien also writes poetry and short stories.
More about John Beusterien