The Promise of Wilderness - American Environmental Politics since 1964 (Hardcover, New)

From Denali's majestic slopes to the Great Swamp of central New Jersey, protected wilderness areas make up nearly 20 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.

"James Turner's insightful book demonstrates the continued vitality and centrality of wilderness within American environmentalism." -Mark Harvey, author of "Wilderness Forever: Howard Zahniser and the Path to the Wilderness Act "

"A superb study of the implementation of the Wilderness Act, and a springboard for a new period in wilderness thought and advocacy." -Paul Sutter, author of "Driven Wild: How the Fight Against Automobiles Launched the Modern Wilderness Movement "

"We are unlikely any time soon to see a book about the twentieth-century history of American wilderness that is so deeply researched, so carefully thought out, and so gracefully argued." -from the Foreword by William Cronon

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

General

Imprint:	University of Washington Press
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books
Release date:	August 2012
First published:	May 2012
Authors:	James Morton Turner
Foreword by:	William Cronon
Dimensions:	229 x 152 x 38mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover - Cloth over boards
Pages:	576
Edition:	New
ISBN-13:	978-0-295-99175-7
Categories:	Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Political science & theory Books > Earth & environment > The environment > Conservation of the environment > General
LSN:	0-295-99175-5
Barcode:	9780295991757

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!