Seven scholars from a variety of fields recommend new books and classics to read this fall, with topics ranging from Indigenous resistance and Afrofuturism to Irish coastal history and nineteenth-century surfing.
In this genre-queer meditation on mapping, Tori McCandless interrogates the colonial ramifications of the map while exploring processes of embodied and intertextual mapping that account for the interwoven histories of California’s coast. They ask: how can we know a place through touch and text?
Evelyn Ramiel shows how board game geographies can invite players to consider their role in the intertwined politics of human and environmental history.
Leah Marie Becker looks into the ways nineteenth-century domestic manuals portray homes as public infrastructure. This expansive and inclusive notion of infrastructure can inform how we approach environmental health in and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
A visual history by Daniel Macfarlane digs into the archives to document how Niagara Falls was remade for energy, tourists, and profit.
Germán Vergara talks with Rachel Gurney about the history of energy transitions in Mexico and the lessons we can learn from the past.
Trees might have a lot to say, but how can humans hear them? Solvejg Nitzke reviews Valerie Trouet’s new book, “Tree Story: The History of the World Written in Rings.”
Six scholars recommend books and essays they’re teaching this fall to navigate the pandemics of coronavirus and racial injustice.
Elizabeth Hennessy’s recent book follows in the footsteps of Galápagos tortoises to uncover the complex history of a tourist and biodiversity hotspot.
The term Anthropocene does not address centuries of violent colonial theft. Kyle Keeler proposes a new title: the Kleptocene.
