French Literature Reviews - 2026
W. Cronon, Nature and Narratives: Essays in Environmental History
History, Politics and Society
Nature and Narratives: Essays in Environmental History
William Cronon
Mathias Lefèvre (Translator), Grégory Quenet (Preface)
Publication date: 01/03/2016 Publisher: Dehors ISBN: 978-2-36751-007-1 EAN: 9782367510071 Format: Paperback No. of pages: 285 p.
Each of the essays collected in this volume bears witness to how William Cronon, as an engaged public intellectual, profoundly reshaped the writing of history. By examining the environmental changes brought about by the colonization of the United States, these writings explore not only the role of the scholar as an environmental historian, but even more so, the critical function environmental history can serve in understanding contemporary ecological upheavals.
How are human identities shaped by their relationship with nature? What place should be given to a "sense of place" in an era of the unstoppable rise of the global scale? Does the rhetorical form of narrative make it possible to account for the inequalities and power dynamics woven around nature?
By tracing the often obscure connections between human history and ecological change, environmental history opens up valuable avenues for thinking and acting with the world around us. Nature et récits is the first book to introduce William Cronon in France.
Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, William Cronon is one of the most prominent American historians of his era. Each received as a major event, his books have contributed significantly to the global reach of environmental history.
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An article about this book can be read on nonfiction.fr:
"What environmental history can do."
And on laviedesidees.fr:
Environmental history as a distinct academic field examines how ecological conditions shape historical developments and how human actions transform landscapes. This collection brings together essays by William Cronon, a prominent American historian based at the University_of_Wisconsin-Madison, whose work has shaped contemporary approaches to environmental history. The volume features translation by Mathias Lefèvre and a preface by Grégory Quenet, marking the first introduction of Cronon's writings to French readers.
The collected essays examine the environmental changes resulting from the colonization of the United States while addressing the role of the scholar in environmental history. The texts explore how human identities are shaped by their relationship with nature and consider the importance of a sense of place within the context of globalization. They also investigate whether narrative forms can account for power dynamics and inequalities surrounding the natural world. Readers interested in the intersections of human history, ecology, and public intellectualism may find this volume relevant.