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This edited book, by Rosalina Diaz, represents a radical form of
ethnography, as it presents the voices of academic scholars and
scientists side by side with those of grassroots activists, native
healers and community herbalists and brujas, in addressing issues
of cultural & indigenous identity, agroecology, sustainability
and self-determination in the Greater Antillean region of the
Caribbean. As a result of European colonialism, the cultural
development of the indigenous population was radically disrupted.
Five thousand years of cultural knowledge, including plant wisdom,
went underground. Herbal healers, shamed and ridiculed as "brujas"
and "santeras," continued to practice in obscurity. The
industrialization, urbanization and tourism projects of the 20th
century exacerbated the exploitation of the natural environment,
which began in earnest with the plantation economy imposed by
European colonialism, leaving it vulnerable to climate change
threats. However, the history of environmental activism and
push-back of the islands is also noteworthy, as Carmen M.
Concepcion points out, "the Puerto Rican environmental movement got
under way very early and has been distinctively political since its
beginnings, twenty years before most other nations." In the Greater
Antilles, environmental activism has sprung up alongside grassroots
political movements, as well as a resurgence of indigenous
identity, and, as explained by the authors in this book, continues
to be an act of resistance against on-going political, social and
economic repression. "In Decolonizing Paradise, Rosalina Diaz
blends the voices of scientists with local healers and activists to
explore a radical ethnography of plants and people in the
Caribbean. Through their lived experiences in this crucially
important bioregion, herbalists, brujas, and western-trained
scientists resurrect and reveal indigenous and diasporic plant
wisdom that has long been denigrated. This collection is an
important ethnobotanical starting point for the colonized people of
the Caribbean to redress centuries of cultural and environmental
injustice." -Robert Voeks, Author of The Ethnobotany of Eden:
Rethinking the Jungle Medicine Narrative "Decolonizing Paradise is
a must-read primer for anyone interested in an insider perspective
of environmental stewardship in the Caribbean region, as told by
the voices of those currently active in the movement. In
recognizing the long-standing environmental conflicts, clashes and
actions of local activists and community groups, this book
rectifies historical omissions and misperceptions, and challenges
the still prevailing narrative of inaction and dependence that has
wrongly stigmatized this population for centuries." -Alexis
Massol-Gonzalez, Founding Director of Casa Pueblo of Adjuntas;
Recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize (2002) "At a time when
the world is intensely focused on finding solutions to complex and
existential environmental issues, Decolonizing Paradise is an
indispensable tool for those wanting to engage in collective action
in the Caribbean. This timely anthology of scholars, scientists,
farmers, grassroots activists and environmentalists provides both
historical context and an agenda for the sustainable environmental
future of the region, with a particular emphasis on Puerto Rico.
Decolonizing Paradise will quickly become essential reading for
those interested in the Caribbean's environmental struggles,
particularly as understood and analyzed by those who are currently
in the trenches. Decolonizing Paradise also provides hope and
inspiration for all those-students, policy makers, activists, and
scholars-who want to see change happen in the Caribbean." -Felix V
Matos Rodriguez, Chancellor of the City University of New York
(CUNY)
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