Guano and the Opening of the Pacific World A Global Ecological History Studies in Environment and History Series
Langue : Anglais
Auteur : Cushman Gregory T.
This book traces the history of bird guano, demonstrating how this unique commodity helped unite the Pacific Basin with the industrialized world.
For centuries, bird guano has played a pivotal role in the agricultural and economic development of Latin America, East Asia and Oceania. As their populations ballooned during the Industrial Revolution, North American and European powers came to depend on this unique resource as well, helping them meet their ever-increasing farming needs. This book explores how the production and commodification of guano has shaped the modern Pacific Basin and the world's relationship to the region. Marrying traditional methods of historical analysis with a broad interdisciplinary approach, Gregory T. Cushman casts this once little-known commodity as an engine of Western industrialization, offering new insight into uniquely modern developments such as environmental consciousness and conservation movements; the ascendance of science, technology and expertise; international relations; and world war.
List of illustrations; Preface; Abbreviations and acronyms; Prologue; 1. Introduction; 2. The guano age; 3. Neo-ecological imperialism; 4. Where is Banaba?; 5. Conservation and the technocratic ideal; 6. The most valuable birds in the world; 7. When the Japanese came to dinner; 8. The road to survival; 9. Guano and the Blue Revolution; 10. Conclusion; Select bibliography; Index.
Gregory T. Cushman is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Kansas, where he teaches courses on international environmental history. He works closely with environmental scientists in interdisciplinary research and teaching and has published a number of articles on climate history and the history of climate science. He was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in 2007.
Date de parution : 03-2013
Ouvrage de 416 p.
15.2x22.9 cm
Date de parution : 01-2014
Ouvrage de 416 p.
15.3x22.8 cm
Thème de Guano and the Opening of the Pacific World :
© 2024 LAVOISIER S.A.S.