E-Book Overview
A collection of essays offering various approaches to environmental history. Issues covered range from the intellectual formation of environmental concepts to case studies of forest history and animal extinction. Most essays focus on the issue of wilderness and the use of forest resources.
E-Book Content
_Encountering_the_Past_in_Nature_ “In a field traditionally dominated by works on the United States, the [book offers] a fresh international perspective, finding fertile ground for the study of people and nature in diverse lands.” —Economic History Review A deeper understanding of contemporary environmental problems requires us to understand the interaction between humans and nature in the past. How have human societies affected their environment and vice versa? What does history tell us about ecological change? The essays in Encountering the Past in Nature provide various approaches to the new discipline. Experts with diverse educational backgrounds tackle important issues ranging from the intellectual formation of environmental concepts to case studies of forest history and animal extinction. Most essays focus on the issue of wilderness and the various uses of forest resources. Introductory essays elaborate on the historiography and methodology of the new field of historical study. Encountering the Past in Nature is a welcome addition to the introductory texts currently available in the United States. Timo Myllyntaus is senior lecturer of economic and social history at the University of Helsinki. Mikko Saikku is assistant director of the North American Studies Program at the Renvall Institute for Area and Cultural Studies, University of Helsinki. _Encountering_the_Past_in_Nature_ “This short book from a small country [Finland] is rich in imaginative, innovative contexts. Ranging expertly over several continents, including North America, it argue