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This book is an introductory instrument to the main themes of environmental history, illustrating its development over time, methodological implications, results achieved and those still under discussion. But the overriding aspiration is to show that the doubts, methods and knowledge elaborated by environmental history have a heuristic value that is far from negligible precisely in its attitude to the most consolidated major historiography. For this reason, this book gives an overview of environmental history as it is an essential component of the basic knowledge of global history. At the same time, it introduces specific aspects which are useful both for anyone wanting to deepen his/her studies of environmental historiography and for those interested in one of the many disciplinary areas - from rural history to urban history, from the history of technology to the history of public health, etc. with which environmental history develops a dialogue.
List of contents
Foreword; Mauro Agnoletti, Simone Neri Serneri .- Contributors.- 1. Energy in history; Paolo Malanima .- 2. Economic history and the environment: new questions, approaches and methodologies; Enric Tello Aragay, Gabriel Jover Avellà .- 3. Environmental history of soils; Verena Winiwarter .- 4. Environmental history of water resources; Stephane Frioux .- 5. Environmental history of air pollution and protection; Stephen Mosley .- 6. Urban development and environment; Dieter Schott .- 7. History of Waste Management and the Social and Cultural Representations of Waste; Sabine Barles .- 8. History of technological hazards, disasters and accidents; Gianni Silei .
Summary
This book is an introductory instrument to the main themes of environmental history, illustrating its development over time, methodological implications, results achieved and those still under discussion. But the overriding aspiration is to show that the doubts, methods and knowledge elaborated by environmental history have a heuristic value that is far from negligible precisely in its attitude to the most consolidated major historiography. For this reason, this book gives an overview of environmental history as it is an essential component of the basic knowledge of global history. At the same time, it introduces specific aspects which are useful both for anyone wanting to deepen his/her studies of environmental historiography and for those interested in one of the many disciplinary areas – from rural history to urban history, from the history of technology to the history of public health, etc. with which environmental history develops a dialogue.
