History in the Age of Climate Crisis

By: Maisie O'Brien

In our current era of environmental crisis, where glaciers are melting at unprecedented rates, floods and fires are destroying communities, and scientists warn of climate catastrophe, Sarah Hussain, AG27, believes it is important to look back and ask: How did we get here? 

How have humans impacted the natural environment over time, and how has the natural environment impacted us? How can we learn from the past to take meaningful action today?

At Tufts, Hussain is studying environmental history alongside a combination of South Asian history and intellectual history (the history of ideas and knowledge production). Her academic interests are deeply multidisciplinary; she earned a quadruple major in history, international relations, political science, and Asian studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She chose to pursue history because the subject “felt like the most complete way of answering big questions."

Prior to attending Tufts, Hussain worked as an archivist in her hometown of Karachi, Pakistan, for a nonprofit called the Citizens Archive of Pakistan. There, she collected oral histories across the Sindh province to understand local customs and document how communities cope with changing environmental and socio-political realities.

Hussain joined Tufts as a Future Leader Fellow, a recognition awarded to outstanding graduate students who contribute to a greater diversity of perspectives and experiences within GSAS programs.

How does research fit into your degree at Tufts and where has it taken you?

One of the best parts of the MA in History is how archival and primary source research are central to the program. The physical experience of archival work is essentially throwing yourself into a sea of information—an undertaking that varies dramatically depending on location. While working at the Library of Congress was relatively straightforward, navigating archives in places like Pakistan, where virtually nothing is digitized, is far more complex. It takes hours of sifting through fragile, dusty materials and decoding handwritten documents. It requires immense patience and feels like detective work, as you are constantly piecing together disparate clues. 

My research has taken me across the globe. I began in Pakistan, where many of my core questions are rooted, and recently traveled to Japan through the Tufts Environmental Studies Program. Japan provided an ideal comparative lens due to its deep history of navigating environmental disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis. This summer, with generous help from GSAS and the History Department, I conducted archival research at the British Library and the Royal Geographical Society in London, where I accessed the colonial survey records and correspondence that underwrite my account of how environmental knowledge of the Indus River Basin was produced and circumscribed.

I have also contributed to two major research projects at Tufts. The first is with the Shared Waters Lab at the Fletcher School, where we study transboundary water conflict and cooperation to examine historical disputes over water sources, under the supervision of Assistant Professor of International Environmental Policy Melissa McCracken. The second is the Aquapedia Database Project alongside Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Shafiqul Islam, which curates historical water case studies from scientific, engineering, social, and political perspectives. Both projects have deeply shaped my understanding of research databases as well as water conflict, stakeholder dynamics, and conflict mitigation across different regions.

How do you see your research making a difference in the world?

I hope the questions I ask and the narratives I produce will help people become informed, and consider the findings in relation to their own communities. I grew up in Karachi, where people greet the monsoon with as much worry as relief. Rain that might mean grabbing a jacket in a place like Medford can wipe out homes and livelihoods back home. Over time, I realized the difference has less to do with the rain itself than with the infrastructure and inequality it falls on, and that's a big part of how I came to think about the environment the way I do. 

From melting glaciers causing outburst floods in northern Pakistan to heat waves taking lives across the Global South, we are reaching unprecedented levels of climate change. A key part of my work is keeping myself informed about our climate emergency, so that others can understand that a rainy day can be a small inconvenience for some and a real threat for others, and that the world is so much bigger than our individual experience.  

While large governance structures drive change at the policy or state level, we as individuals are also responsible for our natural environment. Individually and collectively, our actions create global change. I hope my work encourages people to be mindful of their daily choices, recognize the value of their collective impact, and understand how deeply interconnected we are with the world around us.

Describe your Tufts experience so far.

I chose Tufts because of the chance to learn from the History Department’s renowned faculty and to experience the city of Boston, which is an amazing intellectual hub. Working with my advisor, Ayesha Jalal, a defining voice in South Asian historiography, has been a major highlight. From our very first conversation, she left me with many questions and topics to consider, constantly reminding me that "a good question is half your problem solved."

A huge part of my growth at Tufts has come from stepping outside my primary department to see how other disciplines approach complex, creative questions around climate mitigation, refugees, and migration. Taking classes across disciplines, from "Historical Anthropology" with Professor Sarah Pinto to the Fletcher School, where I learned the history of automation with Professor Chris Miller and weighed competing theories of global revolutions with Professor Elisabeth Leake, has expanded my methodology beyond traditional historical archives.

I’ve also benefitted from the close-knit, supportive community within the History Department. Senior students welcomed and paved the way for me, while my peers and faculty mentors, like Professor of History Khaled Fahmy, have always been available to answer questions and share opportunities. It’s a small department where everyone is inherently curious and intellectually driven.

Looking ahead, my immediate goal is to apply to PhD programs. I’ve known since my undergraduate days at UT Austin that I want to earn a doctorate and pursue a career in academia. While I’ve always been interested in the natural environment, my focus on environmental history truly solidified at Tufts. Learning from professors with diverse, interdisciplinary backgrounds gave me the freedom to hone that curiosity and explore new creative avenues in my research.