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Trees Are Shape Shifters

How Cultivation, Climate Change, and Disaster Create Landscapes
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Trees Are Shape Shifters by Andrew S. Mathews explores the dynamic and adaptive nature of trees, delving into how they interact with their environments and human societies. The author illuminates the complex relationships and communication strategies that trees develop to survive and thrive. It provides insights into the intertwined existence of trees and humans, highlighting their resilience in a changing world.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you are intrigued by the transformative power of nature and are curious about how different cultures perceive and interact with trees. It appeals to those interested in ecology, anthropology, and understanding the dynamic relationships between humans and the natural world.

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An exploration of the anthropogenic landscapes of Lucca, Italy, and how its people understand social and environmental change through cultivation

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Trees Are Shape Shifters by Andrew S. Mathews explores the anthropogenic landscapes of Lucca, Italy, and how its people understand social and environmental change through cultivation.

In Italy and around the Mediterranean, almost every stone, every tree, and every hillside show traces of human activities. Situating climate change within the context of the Anthropocene, Mathews investigates how people in Lucca make sense of social and environmental change by caring for the morphologies of trees and landscapes.

He analyses how people encounter climate change, not by thinking and talking about climate, but by caring for the environments around them. Maintaining landscape stability by caring for the forms of trees, rivers, and hillsides is a way that people link their experiences to the past and to larger-scale political questions.

The human-transformed landscapes of Italy are a harbinger of the experiences that all of us are likely to face, and addressing these disasters will call upon all of us to think about the human and natural histories of the landscapes we live in.

Series: Yale Agrarian Studies Series

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  • Trees Are Shape Shifters
    Trees Are Shape Shifters by Andrew S. Mathews explores the anthropogenic landscapes of Lucca, Italy, and how its people understand social and environmental change through cultivation. In Italy and around the Mediterranean, almost every stone, every tree, and every hillside show traces of human activities. Situating climate change within the context of the Anthropocene, Mathews investigates how people in Lucca...
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Trees Are Shape Shifters by Andrew S. Mathews is praised for weaving historical narratives and scientific understanding to explore how landscapes are managed by humans, particularly in the context of climate change. The book is described as a rich blend of local research and global environmental concerns, with a focus on the interaction between peasants' practices and the natural world in Tuscany. It highlights the story of how human activity and storytelling play crucial roles in shaping and understanding our environments.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780300260373

Publisher: Yale University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 10 January 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Yale University Press

Illustration: 70 b-w illus.

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 19.0mm

Width: 156.0mm

Height: 235.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 320

About the Author

Andrew S. Mathews is associate professor of anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

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