Nature and Colonialism

<p><em>Nature and Colonialism: A Reader</em> provides students with a collection of classic texts on environmental thought and invites them to analyze the texts alongside the often contrarian ideas of expansion development and human exceptionalism. Readers are encouraged to consider early perspectives on the hierarchical power relationships between political/economic entities and nature/peoples and whether foundational views of environmentalism supported the proliferation of colonial ideology.<br /><br />The collection begins with a piece by Zitkala-Sa a Dakota Sioux activist and writer and highlights a voice of resistance against the redefinition and reimagining of nature via colonialist thought. Students read seminal works related to nature by Charles Darwin George Perkins Marsh Henry David Thoreau John Muir and Gifford Pinchot. They are challenged to engage in sociocultural inquiry to better understand how views of the relationship between humans and nature have developed over time as well as how they continue to shape modern thought and perspectives regarding environmentalism.<br /><br />Designed to stimulate critical thought and inquiry <em>Nature and Colonialism</em> is an ideal supplementary textbook for courses in environmental science or philosophy especially those with emphasis on the relationship between humans and their environment.</p><p><strong>Theodore Grudin</strong> holds a Ph.D. in environmental science policy and management from the University of California Berkeley. He is a lecturer in the Department of Environmental Studies & Sciences at Santa Clara University and has also taught at the University of California Berkeley Saint Mary’s College and San Jose State University.</p>