Evolutionary History
Evolutionary History
We tend to see history and evolution springing from separate roots, one grounded in the human world and the other in the natural world. Human beings have, however, become probably the most powerful species shaping evolution today, and human-caused evolution in other species has probably been the most important force shaping human history. This book introduces readers to evolutionary history, a new field that unites history and biology to create a fuller understanding of the past than either can produce on its own. Evolutionary history can stimulate surprising new hypotheses for any field of history and evolutionary biology. How many art historians would have guessed that sculpture encouraged the evolution of tuskless elephants? How many biologists would have predicted that human poverty would accelerate animal evolution? How many military historians would have suspected that plant evolution would convert a counter-insurgency strategy into a rebel subsidy? With examples from around the globe, this book will help readers see the broadest patterns of history and the details of their own life in a new light.
- Written for a wide audience and requires no prior knowledge of history or biology
- Links the two cultures of humanities (history) and science (biology)
- Provides a unified way of thinking about historical processes usually studied separately, including domestication, plant and animal breeding, pathogen resistance to drugs, pest resistance to pesticides, fisheries collapse, cloning and genetic engineering
Reviews & endorsements
'This is not a traditional monograph. Instead, Evolutionary History reads like a well-written how-to manual. And in this case, the instruction is how to enlarge the scope of historical study to include evolutionary processes. Too often and for too long, scholars have held that human history and natural evolution sprung from separate roots and occurred in separate realms. Russell's two-part counter to this illustrates how humans shaped evolution in profound ways and how these changes have, in turn, altered the course of world history.' Environmental History
Product details
No date availablePaperback
9780521745093
240 pages
227 × 154 × 14 mm
0.33kg
11 b/w illus. 4 tables
Related links
Table of Contents
- 1. Matters of life and death
- 2. Evolution's visible hands
- 3. Hunting and fishing
- 4. Eradication
- 5. Altering environments
- 6. Evolution revolution
- 7. Intentional evolution
- 8. Co-evolution
- 9. Evolution of the industrial revolution
- 10. History of technology
- 11. Environmental history
- 12. Conclusion
- Glossary.
