Description
Book SynopsisFocusing on the mountainous area from northern Alabama to West Virginia, this title explores the historic and contemporary interrelations between culture and environment in a region that has been plagued by land misuse and damaging stereotypes of its people. This collection contributes to debates over land use and conservation.
Trade Review"A mountainous, resource-rich region near major centers of population, [Appalachia] has been farmed, mined, logged, prospected for medicinal herbs, toured, locally industrialized, and -- not least -- used as a source of cheap labor. Even in in pre-Columbian times, change was fairly rapid, as intensive agriculture and forest management spread up the rivers. This book brings together specialized papers documenting both pre-and post-Columbian changes... [Together] they provide a picture of swift, sometimes chaotic change in a region wrongly believed to be highly 'traditional.'" -- Choice "Readers come away with concrete knowledge about nine community struggles spread across Southern Appalachia ... [as well as] a realization that the environment can best be protected by those who feel that need as an imperative arising out of their cultural heritage... A must-read for environmental activists as well as for anyone interested in the social sciences." -- Appalachian Heritage ADVANCE PRAISE "This book argues forcefully that the case for rural culture is the case for a sustainable environmental stewardship." -- Robert Gipe, director of the Appalachian Program at Southeast Community College in Cumberland, Kentucky
