Hello, all,
I am Abigail Croker, a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton University. Originally from the UK, I have been working on fire-related research for the past seven years, spanning savanna fire ecology, community-based fire management, pyrogeography, wildfire governance, conceptual and theoretical framework development, and more recently, fire insurance and operations modelling. It is wonderful to be here and to be part of this community.
I am increasingly interested in how long-term ideologies shape the collective unconscious, and how particular narratives and beliefs about fire (both fire itself and fire-use practices) become normalised over time. More specifically, I am beginning to explore how these narratives are transmitted, institutionalised, and reproduced across generations, and how they may contribute to processes of biocultural hysteresis not only through changes in practice, but also through changes in human perception, values, and relationships with fire.
We often distinguish between āmodernā and āpre-modernā understandings of fire, with the latter frequently framed through pre-colonial or pre-Enlightenment lenses. But what happens if we look further back? How have deeper historical, religious, philosophical, and institutional transformations since the first century CE shaped contemporary understandings of fire?
Today, discussions around revitalising fire stewardship frequently rely on terms such as ācultural burningā, which can inadvertently reinforce a distinction between āculturalā and āscientificā approaches to fire. Yet fire has been understood, valued, and used in diverse ways for millennia, extending far beyond contemporary land-management practices. I am interested in exploring how these broader relationships with fire have evolved, been suppressed, transformed, or retained over time.
If these questions are of interest to you, I would be delighted to connect. I will begin formalising this research over the summer and would welcome discussion from anyone working at the intersection of fire, history, culture, institutions, psychology, religion, or environmental governance.
Have a great week!
Abi