At the intersection of climate change and cultural heritage
Dr Marcy Rockman is a new addition to the UNESCO Chair on Heritage Futures. Over the past 15 years, she has focused on climate change and how archaeology can support adaptation. When continuing climate and heritage work in the US became difficult she came to continue and extend her research in Sweden at the Linnaeus University.
We asked Marcy about her research and why she moved to Sweden.
What is your research about?
- My research explores the intersection of climate change and cultural heritage, explains Marcy Rockman. I focus on how people learn unfamiliar environments—historically through colonization and migration, and today through climate change. I also work with heritage and climate policy, especially where they overlap, and contribute to science-policy translation and the history of heritage policy.
What do you hope to contribute during your time with the Chair?
- I collaborated with the UNESCO Chair at Linnaeus University on projects while in Washington, DC, including one on culture and conflict. I have been fortunate that when I lost my support in the US, the opportunity to apply to the Swedish Research Council arose, and both the Chair and Linnaeus University backed my application.
- There’s been media interest in my move to Sweden and my climate-heritage work in the US. This includes features in Svenska Dagbladet 5 September 2025 and Barometern-OT an upcoming panel with We Don’t Have Time streamed to New York Climate Week in later September. I’ll also speak at the Rotary Club Kalmar North in October. These opportunities are opening new ways to engage in climate discussions locally and globally.
- I’m currently working on a book about landscape learning—how people understand unfamiliar places—and their connection to climate change. I have existing ties with Swedish institutions through past lectures and projects, and I’ll be reaching out to colleagues to discuss climate, policy, and landscape knowledge. Our goal is to host a workshop in Kalmar next spring to expand these conversations with partners from Sweden, Europe, and the UK.
- I am so happy that everything came together to bring Marcy Rockman here, says Cornelius Holtorf, holder of the UNESCO Chair on Heritage Futures at Linnaeus University. The goals of the UNESCO Chair on Heritage Futures align perfectly with her work. She is based at the campus in Kalmar and the Department of Cultural Sciences, and we will continue our existing collaboration at all levels.
Interested in our work? More about the Chair here