|
|
Article: a death-defying attempt to articulate a coherent DEFINITION OF ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY
- Article from:
- Environmental History
- Article date:
- July 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Environmental History Jul 2005. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
IN A RECENT article in the Journal of Historical Geography, J. M. Powell began with a well-meaning attempt at humor: "Question. Why is environmental history like Belgium?" Answer. "Because it was entirely the product of a resident collective imagination."1 There is no denying that this is true. I would only add that it is also the product of a resident collective toleration of a good deal of intellectual uncertainty, diversity, and even incoherence.
Most recently, this uncertainty was reflected in the short essays on the essence and future directions of the field that constituted the heart of the January 2005 issue of Environmental History. Harriet Ritvo characterized the field as "an ...