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Recent Themes in the Environmental History of the British Empire
Author(s) -
Beattie James
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
history compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.121
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 1478-0542
DOI - 10.1111/j.1478-0542.2011.00824.x
Subject(s) - historiography , agency (philosophy) , environmental history , natural resource , british empire , empire , natural (archaeology) , history , scale (ratio) , environmental ethics , political science , sociology , economic history , social science , geography , archaeology , law , philosophy , cartography
Accessing and controlling environments underpinned British imperialism. Imperialism gave Britain control over millions of hectares of cropland and access to countless other resources. In the search for efficient ways of using natural resources, British imperialism shifted flora, fauna and commodities around the world. Ecological disruption and radical environmental changes never before experienced in history resulted. Imperialism also contributed to the production of many modern attitudes and disciplines through which we now understand nature. Given the fundamental importance of the use and role of natural resources in British imperialism, this article presents an overview of its environmental historiography, examining issues of agency, scale and exchange.