Green imperialism
Subtitle: colonial expansion, tropical island Edens, and the origins of environmentalism, 1600-1860
By: Richard H. Grove.
Series: Studies in environment and history
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 1995
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 540
Subjects: East India Company -- History.; Environmentalism -- History.
Description: This is the first book to document the origins and early history of environmentalism, concentrating especially on its hitherto unexplained colonial and global aspects. It highlights the significance of Utopian, physiocratic and medical thinking in the history of environmental ideas. The book shows how the new critique of the colonial impact on the environment depended on the emergence of a coterie of professional scientists, especially in the Dutch, French and English maritime empires.

The prime importance of the oceanic island 'Eden' as a vehicle for new conceptions of nature is emphasized, and the significance of colonial island environments in stimulating conservationist notions is underlined, revealing how, for the first time, the limitability of local and global resources could be recognised.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 487-525) and index.