HIST - Readings / Quotes
Week #1: What is Environmental History
Environmental history studies the interactions between humans and nature over time, bridging natural sciences and humanities. It emerged in the 1960s - 70s amid growing environmental awareness, challenging traditional historical narratives by emphasizing nature’s role. Key themes include human impact on the environment determinism, and nature as a historical agent.
Quotes:
“Environmental history is the story of the changing mutual relationship between people and the nature world.”
“The natural environment is not just a backdrop for human history - it’s an active agent in shaping it.” - Cronon
“Human actions often have unintended consequences for the environment, some of which only become apparent over time.”
Week #2: Early Humans and Their Environments
Early human evolution and migration were heavily influence by climate change, with bipdealism and brain development linked to environmental shifts. The Toba eruption nearly caused human extinction, while the transition to agriculture marked a turning point in human - environment relationships, leading to population growth but also environmental degradation.
Quotes:
“No one can suppose any longer that preagricultural humans lived in gentle harmony with nature primeval”
In the 140 millennia before farming, environmental change affected human affairs more than human affairs affected the environmental. But with the transition to agriculture…we became an increasingly important force in shaping the global environment.”
Week #3: Transformation in Global Ecologies and Politics
Ancient civilizations like Rome, China, and the Maya significantly impacted their environment through deforestation, soil depletion, and resource mismanagement. Environmental degradation contributed to societal decline, as seen in the fall of the Roman Empire. The challenges of Eurocentric periodization and the interdisciplinary nature of environmental archaeology.
Quotes:
“Environmental factors were an important cause of the decay of Roman economy and society, though not only causes, and the most important of environmental resulted from human activites.”
“The human story is one of energy capture and use. Every major advance in our history has been tied to our mastery over energy resources.”
Week #4: The Justinian Plague / Big Chill
The Justinianic Plague (541-750 CE) is traditionally seen as catastrophic, but recent evidence suggests its impact was regional rather than empire-wide. The “Big Chill” in 10th-11th century Iran caused severe winters, crop failures, and economic shifts, such as the decline of the cotton industry and the rise of leather production.
Quotes:
“The extraordinary claims of plague’s effects demand extraordinary evidence, but the consensus maximalist position has offered little evidential support when evaluated critically.”
“The Big Chill signaled by the Mongolian tree-ring data roughly coincided with a pronounced decline in Iran’s cotton industry.”
Week #5: Medieval Dynamism in Agriculture, Industry, and Disease
Song China (960-1276 CE) displayed features of a modern economy, including urbanization, technological innovation, and the use of paper currency. The Black Death (1346-1353) devastated Europe, with genetic evidence confirming Yersinia pestis as the cause. The plague’s spead is now understood through ecological and genetic perspectives.
Quotes:
“The Song’s commercial growth predated the development of trade and commerce that began in 11th-century Europe…From this angle, Song China deserves a claim to being the world’s first modern economy.”
“There were four Black Death: four explosive proliferations of Yersinia pestis into new environments” - Monica H. Green
“Plague is not a human disease.”
Week #6: Native Worlds in the Americas
Pre-Columbian societies in Central Mexico, like the Aztecs, practiced sustainable agriculture using chinampas and terraces. The introduction of European livestock and diseases during colonization led to environmental degradation. Biological exchanges, such as the Columbian Exchange, reshaped ecosystems and societies globally.
Quotes:
“Biological exchange has played a crucial role in shaping human societies, economies, and ecosystems throughout history.”
“The Basin of Mexico’s internal drainage system presented environmental challenges like frosts, variable rainfall, and soil erosion, while interconnected lakes facilitated transport and resource distribution.”