Description
The influence of human economies and cultures on ecosystems is particularly striking in the new worlds into which Europeans have expanded over the past 500 years. Using a comparative and multidisciplinary approach, “Environment and History” examines the neglected historical subject of settler incursion and dominance in two frontier nations, the US and South Africa. The powerful historical insights already achieved in comparing the racial systems and frontier societies of the US and South Africa are extended in this challenging text. “Environment and History” is covers a broad sweep of environmental history in a particularly revealing context. The intrusive capitalist systems that came to dictate human relations with nature in the US and South Africa created frontier societies geared to the gobbling of natural resources. “Environment and History” gives a valuable historical perspective on many of the “green” issues at the forefront of public interest. It should be read by anyone interested in the historical setting for these vital contemporary issues.
