The Social Lives of Forests

Past, Present, and Future of Woodland Resurgence

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Biological Sciences, Botany, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book The Social Lives of Forests by , University of Chicago Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9780226024134
Publisher: University of Chicago Press Publication: March 4, 2014
Imprint: University of Chicago Press Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9780226024134
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication: March 4, 2014
Imprint: University of Chicago Press
Language: English

Forests are in decline, and the threats these outposts of nature face—including deforestation, degradation, and fragmentation—are the result of human culture. Or are they? This volume calls these assumptions into question, revealing forests’ past, present, and future conditions to be the joint products of a host of natural and cultural forces. Moreover, in many cases the coalescence of these forces—from local ecologies to competing knowledge systems—has masked a significant contemporary trend of woodland resurgence, even in the forests of the tropics.

Focusing on the history and current use of woodlands from India to the Amazon, The Social Lives of Forests attempts to build a coherent view of forests sited at the nexus of nature, culture, and development. With chapters covering the effects of human activities on succession patterns in now-protected Costa Rican forests; the intersection of gender and knowledge in African shea nut tree markets; and even the unexpectedly rich urban woodlands of Chicago, this book explores forests as places of significant human action, with complex institutions, ecologies, and economies that have transformed these landscapes in the past and continue to shape them today. From rain forests to timber farms, the face of forests—how we define, understand, and maintain them—is changing.

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

Forests are in decline, and the threats these outposts of nature face—including deforestation, degradation, and fragmentation—are the result of human culture. Or are they? This volume calls these assumptions into question, revealing forests’ past, present, and future conditions to be the joint products of a host of natural and cultural forces. Moreover, in many cases the coalescence of these forces—from local ecologies to competing knowledge systems—has masked a significant contemporary trend of woodland resurgence, even in the forests of the tropics.

Focusing on the history and current use of woodlands from India to the Amazon, The Social Lives of Forests attempts to build a coherent view of forests sited at the nexus of nature, culture, and development. With chapters covering the effects of human activities on succession patterns in now-protected Costa Rican forests; the intersection of gender and knowledge in African shea nut tree markets; and even the unexpectedly rich urban woodlands of Chicago, this book explores forests as places of significant human action, with complex institutions, ecologies, and economies that have transformed these landscapes in the past and continue to shape them today. From rain forests to timber farms, the face of forests—how we define, understand, and maintain them—is changing.

More books from University of Chicago Press

Cover of the book The Kindly Ones by
Cover of the book Plotinus by
Cover of the book Proust among the Nations by
Cover of the book Biopower by
Cover of the book Mobile Orientations by
Cover of the book The Scattered Family by
Cover of the book Truth and Beauty by
Cover of the book The Adjunct Underclass by
Cover of the book What Do You Think, Mr. Ramirez? by
Cover of the book The Experimental Self by
Cover of the book The Money Problem by
Cover of the book Judge Dee at Work by
Cover of the book Partisans and Partners by
Cover of the book The Reprisal by
Cover of the book Chaos and Order by
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