A Living Past: Environmental Histories of Modern Latin America

From Tierra del Fuego to the Rio Grande to the Caribbean—the diversity of Latin American environments makes any collection in environmental history a daunting task. Despite the enormity of the challenge, the edited collection by John Soluri, Claudia Leal, and José Augusto Pádua provides a framework for Latin American environmental history to better understand the present challenges facing the region.

The editors and authors argue that Latin American environmental history not only illustrates the dynamic relationship between human and non-human organisms but also serves as a product of histories examining colonial legacies or neocolonial exploits during the national period. The book provides examples from Patagonia to the Caribbean and defines the field inclusively, offering new possibilities for future research. Chapter authors illustrate the growing literature in the field while recognizing the role Latin American environmental history plays in discussions of global environmental history. At the same time, the region is hardly isolated in the editors’ estimation as neoliberalism and extractive industries loom. Overall, the book demonstrates how far the field has come and acknowledges the encouragement of the SOLCHA community (Latin American and Caribbean Society for Environmental History) in the introduction. As a whole, the edited collection contributes to conversations on the processes that spawned ecological questions in the region today.

Resenha em H-Review

Também em espanhol, pelo Fondo de Cultura Economica.