Abstract

Though still a relatively young field, the study of Latin American environmental history is blossoming, as the contributions to this definitive volume demonstrate. Bringing together thirteen leading experts on the region, A Living Past synthesizes a wide range of scholarship to offer new perspectives on environmental change in Latin America and the Spanish Caribbean since the nineteenth century. Each chapter provides insightful, up-to-date syntheses of current scholarship on critical countries and ecosystems (including Brazil, Mexico, the Caribbean, the tropical Andes, and tropical forests) and such cross-cutting themes as agriculture, conservation, mining, ranching, science, and urbanization. Together, these studies provide valuable historical contexts for making sense of contemporary environmental challenges facing the region.

John Soluri is Director of Global Studies at Carnegie Mellon University, where he teaches courses on food, energy, environment, and commodities in Latin America. He is the author of Banana Cultures: Agriculture, Environmental Change, and Consumption in Honduras and the United States (2006).

José Augusto Pádua is Professor of Environmental History at the Institute of History, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, where he is also coordinator of the Laboratory of History and Nature. From 2010 to 2015, he was President of the Brazilian Association of Research and Graduate Studies on Environment and Society.

Claudia Leal is Associate Professor at the Department of History at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. She has studied rainforest regions and the formation of societies after emancipation from slavery. She is currently researching the history of Colombian nature conservation.

“This collection will prove to be a valuable resource for many. Scholars in environmental humanities and science recognize the challenges in discussing these layered problems in the classroom. This book provides a model going forward in presenting the historical background of current crises. Meanwhile, undergraduate students will benefit from how each chapter situates the question at hand in social, cultural, economic, and political history. Graduate students will appreciate the thorough research outlined in the chapters and in the footnotes. Overall, A Living Past lives up to its name and frames the past as very much alive in the Latin American environment.” • H-Net Reviews

“There is no book out there that matches the scope, detail, and comprehensiveness of A Living Past. Especially for an edited collection of this kind, the consistency and quality of the scholarship are remarkable.” • Shawn Miller, Brigham Young University

“With a refreshing variety of approaches, these essays represent the best of an emerging international network of scholars dedicated to Latin America. Together, they contain not just histories of decline, but a rich diversity of narratives.” • Joachim Radkau, University of Bielefeld