A statistical study written by the editor of the Journal of East Asian Studies and economist respectively of how and when the North Korean famine starA statistical study written by the editor of the Journal of East Asian Studies and economist respectively of how and when the North Korean famine started, its effect on the country's population, and the impact of the private markets that sprang up after the collapse of the country's Public Distribution System. A very interesting comparative read to the accounts given in Barbara Demick and Bradley Martin's books; Haggard and Noland argue that the famine's origins lie in 1988 with the impending collapse of the Soviet Union (and thus North Korea's source of cheap fertilizer, oil, and gas). North Korean defectors in Demick and Martin's accounts all tend to say that was when the Public Distribution System began shortchanging their families....more
Covers the political and social dimensions of the Shin Nihon Chisso Corporation's dumping of organic mercury in and around Minamata, leading to two deCovers the political and social dimensions of the Shin Nihon Chisso Corporation's dumping of organic mercury in and around Minamata, leading to two decades of horrific human misery during Japan's postwar "economic miracle"....more
a history of the colonial expansion of ethnic Japanese ("wajin") north into the island we now call Hokkaido, and the impact of war, famine and diseasea history of the colonial expansion of ethnic Japanese ("wajin") north into the island we now call Hokkaido, and the impact of war, famine and disease on the aboriginal inhabitants they conquered and assimilated....more
By the late 1600s, Japan was on the brink of ecological collapse. Overpopulation and deforestation had nearly stripped the country of trees, and it waBy the late 1600s, Japan was on the brink of ecological collapse. Overpopulation and deforestation had nearly stripped the country of trees, and it was very possible the Japanese islands could have ended up like modern-day Haiti or Madagascar, denuded and impoverished. Yet changes in Edo-period environmental policy and philosophy transformed the archipelago's land managament from largely exploitative to regenerative, and consequently today Japan is, in the author's words, "one great forest preserve". This book tells that story....more
Environmental history of New England and the effects of European Contact. Very accessible and readable, and a groundbreaking work of American environmEnvironmental history of New England and the effects of European Contact. Very accessible and readable, and a groundbreaking work of American environmental history....more
Cruickshank examines how environmental change and cross-cultural encounters have been framed through oral history narrative in aboriginal communities Cruickshank examines how environmental change and cross-cultural encounters have been framed through oral history narrative in aboriginal communities of northern British Columbia....more
An excellent survey work that focuses on the environmental history of Canada and, to a much lesser extent, Alaska. This is great for anyone looking toAn excellent survey work that focuses on the environmental history of Canada and, to a much lesser extent, Alaska. This is great for anyone looking to explore how settlement, economic, and scientific development were intertwined in Canada....more
A foundational text in Canadian History, in particular for the introduction of the staples thesis. This is an economic history of the fur trade that dA foundational text in Canadian History, in particular for the introduction of the staples thesis. This is an economic history of the fur trade that defines Canada's development as part of a process of finding primary goods (furs) for export to European markets....more
An excellent investigation of how industry and society shaped and were shaped by bodies of water in modern Germany. Starts in the 1700s and goes to thAn excellent investigation of how industry and society shaped and were shaped by bodies of water in modern Germany. Starts in the 1700s and goes to the twentieth century, with really interesting sections on Frederick the Great, the reshaping of the Rhine, and how Nazi racial and environmental policy intersected....more
An environmental history of the Pacific War. Wide-ranging in its geographical and thematic scope, Bennett offers new insights on the environmental impAn environmental history of the Pacific War. Wide-ranging in its geographical and thematic scope, Bennett offers new insights on the environmental impacts of the war, its enduring legacies, and its meanings for Islanders, soldiers, and others both during and after World War II....more
In this work, Chretien synthesizes colonial archives, oral tradition, archaeological digs, and anthropological studies to trace 2000 years of history In this work, Chretien synthesizes colonial archives, oral tradition, archaeological digs, and anthropological studies to trace 2000 years of history in the region. Beginning by tracing the history of settlement and the development of kingdoms, he then explains the transformations that occurred during German, Belgian and British colonial regimes, and their relevance to the present situation....more
A wide ranging survey of the West African gold rush, Dumett explores the era through expected lenses of labor, capital, the clash of cultures and coloA wide ranging survey of the West African gold rush, Dumett explores the era through expected lenses of labor, capital, the clash of cultures and colonial rule, as well as taking the extra step of exploring traditional Akan mining techniques, and brings to light the parallel African gold mining sector that competed with the European mining sector....more
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environmental-history
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