The Promise of Wilderness: American Environmental Politics since 1964

Author:   James Morton Turner ,  William Cronon
Publisher:   University of Washington Press
ISBN:  

9780295993300


Pages:   576
Publication Date:   01 August 2013
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
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The Promise of Wilderness: American Environmental Politics since 1964


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Overview

From Denali's majestic slopes to the Great Swamp of central New Jersey, protected wilderness areas make up nearly twenty percent of the parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and other public lands that cover a full fourth of the nation's territory. But wilderness is not only a place. It is also one of the most powerful and troublesome ideas in American environmental thought, representing everything from sublime beauty and patriotic inspiration to a countercultural ideal and an overextension of government authority. The Promise of Wilderness examines how the idea of wilderness has shaped the management of public lands since the passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964. Wilderness preservation has engaged diverse groups of citizens, from hunters and ranchers to wildlife enthusiasts and hikers, as political advocates who have leveraged the resources of local and national groups toward a common goal. Turner demonstrates how these efforts have contributed to major shifts in modern American environmental politics, which have emerged not just in reaction to a new generation of environmental concerns, such as environmental justice and climate change, but also in response to changed debates over old conservation issues, such as public lands management. He also shows how battles over wilderness protection have influenced American politics more broadly, fueling disputes over the proper role of government, individual rights, and the interests of rural communities; giving rise to radical environmentalism; and playing an important role in the resurgence of the conservative movement, especially in the American West. Watch the book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jsq-6LAeYKk

Full Product Details

Author:   James Morton Turner ,  William Cronon
Publisher:   University of Washington Press
Imprint:   University of Washington Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 3.20cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.726kg
ISBN:  

9780295993300


ISBN 10:   0295993308
Pages:   576
Publication Date:   01 August 2013
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Foreword Abbreviations Acknowledgments Introduction Part One Wilderness and the Origins of Modern Environmentalism, 1964–1976 1 Why a Wilderness Act? 2 Speaking for Wilderness 3 The Popular Politics of Wilderness 4 New Environmental Tools for an Old Conservation Issue 101 Part Two The Polarization of American Environmental Politics, 1977–1994 5 Alaska: “The Last Chance to Do It Right the First Time” 6 National Forests: The Polarization of Environmental Politics 7 The Public Domain: Environmental Politics and the Rise of the New Right Part Three wilderness and a New Agenda for the Public Lands, 1987–2009 8 From Wilderness to Public Lands Reform 9 The New Prophets of Wilderness 10 The Paths to Public Lands Reform Epilogue: Rebuilding the Wilderness Movement Notes Bibliography Index

Reviews

Turner's research is deep, his writing strong, and his argument persuasive. The Promise of Wilderness is sure to become the standard work. It is an outstanding achievement. -Adam M. Sowards, Montana, The Magazine of Western History


Filled with compelling characters and important parables, The Promise of Wilderness is required reading for environmental historians, but this magnificent book has value well beyond the field. Turner shows that wilderness was neither a transient nor a trivial issue. -- Ryan Edgington The Journal of American History This rich history has many important lessons for those who work for wilderness protection today. -- Doug Scott Friends of Allegheny Wilderness newsletter Turner's account is a sophisticated, fresh interpretation, especially for the insights it provides on environmental politics in the 1970s and 1980s. This work pushes beyond the received wisdom in important ways, rethinking the chronology of change, venturing into previously unexplored topical territory, and transforming environmental history into a social-environmental history hybrid. -- Chad Montrie American Historical Review James Turner offers a compelling narrative of U.S. environmental politics that answers and reformulates such questions for scholars, policy insiders, and anyone who has ever marveled at the eloquence of a wilderness area sign. Turner's landmark new book shows that [wilderness preservation] was perennially inclusive and cutting-edge. -- Josh Ashenmiller Pacific Historical Review Turner's research is deep, his writing strong, and his argument persuasive. The Promise of Wilderness is sure to become the standard work. It is an outstanding achievement. -- Adam M. Sowards Montana His engaging analysis suggests a complex tale of political ideology, science, and pragmatism that shaped the expansion of wilderness areas throughout the US. Turner's book is a compelling and detailed read, worthy of attention by scholars and students alike. Highly recommended. Choice A fascinating account of the environmental movement in the second half of the century, one that should find a prominent place not only in environmental history but also in political history and the history of the twentieth century... an interpretation of the late-twentieth-century wilderness movement that should remain definitive for a long time. -- Keith Woodhouse US Intellectual History The Promise of Wilderness will be read with pleasure by all who enjoy- and realize they must act politically to protect- the untrammeled great outdoors. -- Rupert Cutler, former Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Roanoke Times James Morton Turner here gives us a highly detailed, exquisitely researched, and exciting account of the nearly 50 years of political, social, and cultural history of the environmental struggle since the act [Wilderness Act of 1964], using wilderness as the flashpoint of that massive endeavor-an endeavor even more important today than it was a half century ago. -- Francis Moul Great Plains Research Vol. 24, No. 1


Turner's research is deep, his writing strong, and his argument persuasive. The Promise of Wilderness is sure to become the standard work. It is an outstanding achievement. -Adam M. Sowards, Montana, The Magazine of Western History The Promise of Wilderness will be read with pleasure by all who enjoy --and realize they must act politically to protect--the untrammeled great outdoors. --Rupert Cutler, former Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, Roanoke Times The most deeply researched, analytically rigorous, and elegantly written study of American wilderness politics since the 1960s. --from the Foreword by William Cronon A wonderfully compelling picture of the people, history, and politics of America's wilderness. A great read. --Melyssa Watson, cofounder, The Wilderness Society's Wilderness Support Center


Author Information

James Morton Turner is assistant professor of environmental studies at Wellesley College.

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