| Book Review | Environmental History, 12.3

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| Book Review | Environmental History, 12.3 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Inventing Global Ecology: Tracking the Biodiversity Ideal in India, 1947–1997. By Michael L. Lewis. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2004. Ecology and History Series, edited by James L. A. Webb, Jr. x+05 pp. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, and index. Cloth $55.00, paper $26.00.
By claiming to speak for nature, ecologists are gaining tremendous power to reconfigure landscapes through parks and reserves around the developing world. When they do, asks Michael Lewis in this smooth and smart study of what could be called the globalization of ecology, whose interests are they representing? Given that ecology and conservation more broadly have Western origins and are often funded by western organizations, are ecologists—even ecologists of non-Western origins—recreating colonial relations by imposing a fundamentally Western set of values? Or are they best seen as free agents picking and choosing the best tools from the tremendous variety of ideas that circulate in today's global world?	1
Both and neither, says Lewis. Examining the history of ecology and ecologists in India from 1947 to 1997, Lewis wisely maintains a flexible approach, not letting the theory get in the way of the historical record. He finds occasions when ecologists have crudely imposed their models upon local places and peoples, but also cases where ecologists have used their tools quite sensitively. Ultimately, he concludes that the categories we use to analyze these questions—categories that often reify national boundaries—need to be revisited.	. . .

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