States of Nature

Science, Agriculture, and Environment in the Spanish Caribbean, 1760-1940

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Nature, Plant Life, Mushrooms
Cover of the book States of Nature by Stuart George  McCook, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Stuart George McCook ISBN: 9780292788183
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: July 5, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Stuart George McCook
ISBN: 9780292788183
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: July 5, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English

The process of nation-building in Latin America transformed the relations between the state, the economy, and nature. Between 1760 and 1940, the economies of most countries in the Spanish Caribbean came to depend heavily on the export of plant products, such as coffee, tobacco, and sugar. After the mid-nineteenth century, this model of export-led economic growth also became a central tenet of liberal projects of nation-building. As international competition grew and commodity prices fell over this period, Latin American growers strove to remain competitive by increasing agricultural production. By the turn of the twentieth century, their pursuit of export-led growth had generated severe environmental problems, including soil exhaustion, erosion, and epidemic outbreaks of crop diseases and pests.This book traces the history of the intersections between nature, economy, and nation in the Spanish Caribbean through a history of the agricultural and botanical sciences. Growers and governments in Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia, and Costa Rica turned to scientists to help them establish practical and ideological control over nature. They hoped to use science to alleviate the pressing environmental and economic stresses, without having to give up their commitment to export-led growth. Starting from an overview of the relationship among science, nature, and development throughout the export boom of 1760 to 1930, Stuart McCook examines such topics as the relationship between scientific plant surveys and nation-building, the development of a "creole science" to address the problems of tropical agriculture, the ecological rationalization of the sugar industry, and the growth of technocratic ideologies of science and progress. He concludes with a look at how the Great Depression of the 1930s changed the paradigms of economic and political development and the role of science and nature in these paradigms.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The process of nation-building in Latin America transformed the relations between the state, the economy, and nature. Between 1760 and 1940, the economies of most countries in the Spanish Caribbean came to depend heavily on the export of plant products, such as coffee, tobacco, and sugar. After the mid-nineteenth century, this model of export-led economic growth also became a central tenet of liberal projects of nation-building. As international competition grew and commodity prices fell over this period, Latin American growers strove to remain competitive by increasing agricultural production. By the turn of the twentieth century, their pursuit of export-led growth had generated severe environmental problems, including soil exhaustion, erosion, and epidemic outbreaks of crop diseases and pests.This book traces the history of the intersections between nature, economy, and nation in the Spanish Caribbean through a history of the agricultural and botanical sciences. Growers and governments in Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia, and Costa Rica turned to scientists to help them establish practical and ideological control over nature. They hoped to use science to alleviate the pressing environmental and economic stresses, without having to give up their commitment to export-led growth. Starting from an overview of the relationship among science, nature, and development throughout the export boom of 1760 to 1930, Stuart McCook examines such topics as the relationship between scientific plant surveys and nation-building, the development of a "creole science" to address the problems of tropical agriculture, the ecological rationalization of the sugar industry, and the growth of technocratic ideologies of science and progress. He concludes with a look at how the Great Depression of the 1930s changed the paradigms of economic and political development and the role of science and nature in these paradigms.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book The Miskitu People of Awastara by Stuart George  McCook
Cover of the book The Modern American Political Novel by Stuart George  McCook
Cover of the book Guatemala-U.S. Migration by Stuart George  McCook
Cover of the book The Texas Book Two by Stuart George  McCook
Cover of the book Demosthenes, Speeches 1–17 by Stuart George  McCook
Cover of the book The Shattered Mirror by Stuart George  McCook
Cover of the book Beekmantown, New York by Stuart George  McCook
Cover of the book Rotten Boroughs, Political Thickets, and Legislative Donnybrooks by Stuart George  McCook
Cover of the book Diodorus Siculus, Books 11-12.37.1 by Stuart George  McCook
Cover of the book Colonialism and Christianity in Mandate Palestine by Stuart George  McCook
Cover of the book Reading Arab Women's Autobiographies by Stuart George  McCook
Cover of the book Doin’ Drugs by Stuart George  McCook
Cover of the book Homer in Performance by Stuart George  McCook
Cover of the book Reframing Latin America by Stuart George  McCook
Cover of the book The New Latin American Cinema by Stuart George  McCook
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy