Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature (Paperback)

by William Cronon (Editor) "THE TIME HAS COME TO RETHINK WILDERNESS..." (more)
Key Phrases: ancient forest campaign, unmediated flux, gorilla diorama, Nature Company, Pacific Northwest, Sea World (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
In this thought-provoking collection of essays edited by environmental historian Cronon, scholars such as Carolyn Merchant, Richard White, Kenneth Olwig, Donna Haraway, and others "contribute to an ongoing dialog about the environment." The book has its roots in an interdisciplinary seminar on "Reinventing Nature," held at the University of California, Irvine's Humanities Research Institute in 1994, and is similar in scope to another Reinventing Nature project entitled Reinventing Nature?: Responses to Postmodern Deconstructionism (Island Pr., 1995). This work explores our ideas of nature in a cultural context, for "if we hope for an environmentalism capable of explaining why people abuse the earth as they do, then the nature we study most become less natural and more cultural." By using materials such as photographs, advertisements, and paintings (termed "found objects" by Haraway) to stimulate fresh ways of viewing and responding to nature, the group has produced an enlightening work that challenges our very ideas of the natural world. Highly recommended.
S. Maret, Univ. of Colorado, Denver
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"An intellectually pathbreaking book."--Daniel J. Kevles

"The best kind of book, one that shocks the reader into entirely fresh ways of thinking."--Michael Pollan

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Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (October 17, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393315118
• ISBN-13: 978-0393315110
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #115,075 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rethinking is the right word, September 21, 2004

By	Green is Good (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

Being an environmentalist isn't just about enjoying the outdoors or recycling. This is an in depth study of the complex interactions between humans and our world and an examination of our historical and cultural relationship with our environment. In particular, I found the discussion of our meaning for the word and our concept of nature to be particularly enlightening. There is simply no place in the world that isn't touched by human impact and noone on the planet who isn't touched by our environment and what we do to it. A MUST for anyone serious about the study of environmental study.

14 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the result of a year-long project in critical thinking, December 26, 1998

By A Customer

Cronan has done it again! This volume of essays critically examines the concept of wilderness, nature, and humanity's role in the modern world. Though the individual essays are somewhat uneven, the main theme of the book is clearly communicated, especially in Cronan's introductory piece. That is, that the concept of wilderness needs careful rethinking, particularly with our world nearing 10 billion persons.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Compilation, March 19, 2009

By	David S. Lott (Beaufort, South Carolina United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I returned this when I realized Prof. Cronon was the editor not the author. It's a collection of essays. I read a few. Not as good as Prof. Cronon can write.