Biographie

A specialist in environmental and British history, Charles-François Mathis approaches the nineteenth century through the prism of the changing relationship between Western societies (particularly the United Kingdom and France) and their environment, by examining representations, social practices and public policies. His research has focused on three main areas. Firstly, the protection of natural spaces, particularly in heritage form (In Nature We Trust. English landscapes in the industrial age, 2010; Une Protection de l’environnement à la française? 2013, co-edited with Jean-François Mouhot; Une Histoire des luttes pour l’environnement, 2021, co-authored with Anne-Claude Ambroise-Rendu, Steve Hagimont and Alexis Vrignon). Next, the question of the place of nature in French cities (La Ville végétale. Une histoire de la nature en milieu urbain (France, xviie – xxie siècles), 2017, co-written with Emilie-Anne Pépy; English translation in 2020). Finally, energy, and coal in particular, approached from a cultural and social history perspective from the angle of their materiality (Sous le Soleil. Systèmes et transitions énergétiques du Moyen Âge à nos jours, 2019, co-edited with Geneviève Massard-Guilbaud; La Civilisation du charbon, 2021).