In an era of increasing environmental awareness, Canadians are becoming more and more curious about the context of environmental action and policy. Canadian Environmental History puts into historical perspective the complex and often reciprocal relationships that develop between human societies and their environment. By studying the interplay between various historical forces—changing ideas, settlement patterns, resource use, political factors, social change, and ecology—this rigorous and provocative new volume aims to introduce students to the complexity of environmental problems.

This book recasts Canadian history in the context of the environment and encourages students to use concepts such as bioregionalism, environmentalism, and ecological theory to better understand patterns of Canadian settlement, resource use, and changing environmental sensibilities.

Features:

• contributions from leading Canadian and international historians, including Colin M. Coates, Ramsay Cooke, Ken Cruikshank, and Donald Worster
• critical thinking questions to spark independent thought and encourage discussion
• comprehensive introductions to help contextualize each major section and orient students
• further reading and relevant websites to point students toward resources for further study

Dr. David Freeland Duke is an assistant professor and environmental historian in the Department of History and Classics at Acadia University.

David Freeland Duke's profile page

"The material selected represents some of the most current Canadian contributions in environmental history. Its availability to students in a new reader is most welcome."— “George Colpitts, University of Calgary