A Cultural History of Plants in the Modern Era

About this book

A Cultural History of Plants in the Modern Era is the sixth volume in the six-volume set, A Cultural History of Plants, covering the period from 1920 to today – a time when population growth, industrialisation, global trade, and consumerism have fundamentally reshaped our relationship with plants.  Advances in agriculture, science, and technology have revolutionised the ways we feed ourselves, whilst urbanisation and industrial processing have reduced our direct connection with living plants. At the same time, our understanding of both ecology and conservation has greatly increased, and our appreciation of the meanings and aesthetics of plants continues to suffuse art and everyday culture. The modern era has witnessed a revolution in both the valuation and the destruction of the natural world - more than ever before, we understand that the vitality of our relationship with plants will shape our future.

The six-volume set of the Cultural History of Plants presents the first comprehensive history of the uses and meanings of plants from prehistory to today. The themes covered in each volume are plants as staple foods; plants as luxury foods; trade and exploration; plant technology and science; plants and medicine; plants in culture; plants as natural ornaments; the representation of plants.

Contents

Series Preface
List of Illustrations

Introduction: Plants and Culture / Stephen Forbes

1. Plants as Staple Foods: Feast and Famine in Global Food Systems / Derek Byerlee
2. Plants as Luxury Foods: Affordability in an Environmentally Uncertain Future / Frederica Bowcutt
3. Trade and Exploration: The Impact on Plant Diversity / Sara Oldfield
4. Plant Technology and Science: Advances in Crop Improvement / Peter Langridge and Geoff Fincher
5. Plants and Medicine: From Imperial Divergence to Global Convergence / Jean-Paul Gaudilliere
6. Plants in Culture / Mark Tredinnick and Stephen Forbes
7. Plants as Natural Ornaments / Kate Cullity, Stephen Forbes, Jen Lynch & Mike Maunder
8. The Representation of Plants / Geoff Bil

Endnotes
Bibliography
Notes on Contributors
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Stephen Forbes is an independent botanist, thinker, and writer who has held leadership roles in Australian botanic gardens in Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, and Adelaide and published widely on botany, gardens, and the relationship between plants and people.