Teaching Historical Thinking through an Environmental History Case Study: Change over Time in Amazonia
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| Title: | Teaching Historical Thinking through an Environmental History Case Study: Change over Time in Amazonia |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Emily F. Story |
| Source: | History Teacher. 2026 59(2):199-212. |
| Availability: | Society for History Education. California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840-1601. Tel: 562-985-2573; Fax: 562-985-5431; Web site: http://www.societyforhistoryeducation.org/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 14 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Descriptive |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Latin American History, Environmental Education, Natural Resources, Land Use, Capstone Experiences, Area Studies, Human Geography |
| Geographic Terms: | South America |
| ISSN: | 0018-2745 1945-2292 |
| Abstract: | In recent decades, Amazonia has attracted the attention of environmentalists who see it as central to contemporary crises ranging from climate change to biodiversity loss. Environmental degradation has increased markedly during the global Great Acceleration, a period that began in the middle of the twentieth century. In that time, a sharp increase in the number of settlers and prospectors have moved into Amazonia, seeking to exploit the region's natural resources. Governments throughout the region have promoted economic development and related infrastructure. As a result, Amazonia has been a site of conflict and violence, where differing visions about development and nature have played out. Indigenous peoples and other traditional communities have suffered great harm as a result. Given the region's importance for climate and biodiversity, Amazonian conflicts have global significance. Amazonia presents a rich setting for students to develop and hone historical thinking skills. This article describes the design of a unit on Amazonian history, intended as the basis for a capstone assignment in a modern Latin American history survey course. The unit serves both to review major course themes and direct students' attention toward the study of change over time, a fundamental purpose of historical inquiry. The materiality of place facilitates an understanding of the causes and effects of change and introduces an environmental history perspective. Such an approach is particularly useful in challenging prevailing assumptions about Amazonia that imagine the region as frozen in time, untouched and unchanged by the march of modernity--a vision held by foreign and national elites alike, who share a common goal to exploit the region and its inhabitants. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Access URL: | https://www.societyforhistoryeducation.org/F26Preview.html |
| Accession Number: | EJ1505957 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | In recent decades, Amazonia has attracted the attention of environmentalists who see it as central to contemporary crises ranging from climate change to biodiversity loss. Environmental degradation has increased markedly during the global Great Acceleration, a period that began in the middle of the twentieth century. In that time, a sharp increase in the number of settlers and prospectors have moved into Amazonia, seeking to exploit the region's natural resources. Governments throughout the region have promoted economic development and related infrastructure. As a result, Amazonia has been a site of conflict and violence, where differing visions about development and nature have played out. Indigenous peoples and other traditional communities have suffered great harm as a result. Given the region's importance for climate and biodiversity, Amazonian conflicts have global significance. Amazonia presents a rich setting for students to develop and hone historical thinking skills. This article describes the design of a unit on Amazonian history, intended as the basis for a capstone assignment in a modern Latin American history survey course. The unit serves both to review major course themes and direct students' attention toward the study of change over time, a fundamental purpose of historical inquiry. The materiality of place facilitates an understanding of the causes and effects of change and introduces an environmental history perspective. Such an approach is particularly useful in challenging prevailing assumptions about Amazonia that imagine the region as frozen in time, untouched and unchanged by the march of modernity--a vision held by foreign and national elites alike, who share a common goal to exploit the region and its inhabitants. |
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| ISSN: | 0018-2745 1945-2292 |
