Recovering Lost Species in the Modern Age
My monograph Recovering Lost Species in the Modern Age: Histories of Longing and Belonging was published by MIT Press in October 2019.
In the book, I tell environmental histories of reintroduction, rewilding, and resurrection to situate the modern conservation paradigm of the modern recovery of nature. I argue that the recovery of nature—identifying that something is lost and then going out to find it and bring it back—is a nostalgic process that looks to a historical past and relies on belonging to justify future-oriented action. As a nostalgic process, recovery depends on emotional responses to the lost, particularly a longing for recovery that manifests itself in emotions such as guilt, hope, and grief.
Table of Contents
- Recovering: Losing and Finding Nature in History
- Reintroducing: Guilt and the Beaver’s Return
- Rewilding: Hope in Muskoxen and Fear of Wilder Ways
- Resurrecting: Grieving the Passenger Pigeon into Existence Again
- Remembering: Narrating Species Loss and Recovery
- Reconnecting: Loving the Lost
The book builds upon much of the material I wrote on this blog, as well as some additional material that never made it here. I’m so happy that I was able to work with MIT Press and the series History for a Sustainable Future to make it a reality.