Inventing Global Ecology: Tracking the Biodiversity Ideal in India

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Summary

Lewis examines whether ecologists from western nations created a new colonialism by imposing western conservation ideals on third world environments. He concludes that sometimes they have but, in other cases, they worked with the local people to produce local solutions. Focusing on Indian ecologists such as Madhav Gadgil and Salim Ali, Lewis presents case studies where Indians were able to adapt the most appropriate of western thinking to Indian needs. Ali, a close colleague of Smithsonian Secretary S. Dillon Ripley, first brought ecology to India, setting a precedent for successful Indian adaptation of such ideals.

Subject

  • Ali, Sálim 1896-1987
  • Gadgil, Madhav
  • Ripley, Sidney Dillon 1913-2001

Category

Smithsonian History Bibliography

Citation information

Ecology and History Series, edited by James L. A. Webb

Contact information

Institutional History Division, Smithsonian Institution Archives, 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024-2520, SIHistory@si.edu

Date

2004

Topic

  • Ecology
  • Biodiversity
  • Biological diversity
  • Conservation

Place

India

Physical description

Number of pages: 379; Page numbers: 1-369

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