Islands of dense forest in the savanna of 'forest' Guinea have long been regarded both by scientists and policy-makers as the last relics of a once more extensive forest cover, degraded and degrading fast due to its inhabitants' land use. In this 1996 text, James Fairhead and Melissa Leach question these entrenched assumptions. They show, on the contrary, how people have created forest islands around their villages, and how they have turned fallow vegetation more woody, so that population growth has implied more forest, not less. They also consider the origins, persistence, and consequences of a century of erroneous policy. Interweaving historical, social anthropological and ecological data, this fascinating study advances a novel theoretical framework for ecological anthropology, encouraging a radical re-examination of some central tenets in each of these disciplines.
| ISBN: | 9780521564991 |
| Publication date: | 17th October 1996 |
| Author: | James University of London Fairhead, Melissa University of Sussex Leach |
| Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 384 pages |
| Series: | African Studies |
| Genres: |
Social and cultural anthropology Social impact of environmental issues |
Islands of dense forest in the savanna of 'forest' Guinea have long been regarded both by scientists and policy-makers as the last relics of a once more extensive forest cover, degraded and degrading fast due to its inhabitants' land use. In this 1996 text, James Fairhead and Melissa Leach question these entrenched assumptions. They show, on the contrary, how people have created forest islands around their villages, and how they have turned fallow vegetation more woody, so that population growth has implied more forest, not less. They also consider the origins, persistence, and consequences of a century of erroneous policy. Interweaving historical, social anthropological and ecological data, this fascinating study advances a novel theoretical framework for ecological anthropology, encouraging a radical re-examination of some central tenets in each of these disciplines.
Misreading the African Landscape features in the following genres: Social and cultural anthropology, Social impact of environmental issues
Misreading the African Landscape is available in Paperback
Misreading the African Landscape was written by James University of London Fairhead, Melissa University of Sussex Leach and published by Cambridge University Press
Misreading the African Landscape has 384 pages
Yes it is part of African Studies series
£39.59