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Green Land, Brown Land, Black Land: An Environmental History of Africa, 1800-1990

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I read this book for an undergraduate course in comparative environmental history. McCann dispells common myths about Africa (static, has been in environmental decline throughout its history). Instead, he argues that Africa's environmental history can't be judged in a linear perspective - it is neither "declensionist" (continued decline) nor progressive (environment always being improved by people). His book places African agriculturalists within a larger framework of history. Several chapters discuss the role of politics in impacting local environmental change. This a valuable perspective and shows that environmental history has many applications in public policy (implied connections that are mentioned but not developed within the book).

McCann, a historian by education, provides us with a synthesis of the changing African landscape. He argues that the landscape in Africa has always been unstable, and the cause for the instability is anthropogenic activity. His argument specifically deals with the forests of Africa, and he addresses the issue of 'perceived' deforestation. Essentially, he seeks to prove that whatever deforestation that is occurring now in Africa is simply part of a larger, human-induced cycle. This implies that deforestation is "okay" in Africa, because it has happened before and recovered before. However, his argument falls short when he employs the same methodology (researching historical narratives) to prove his points as he does to DISprove the points of others. It is clear that history is not the most accurate of teachers, and I had a difficult time believing McCann's selected historical essays had any more credence than those he attempted to detract.