Economics of Waste, Ecology of Destruction: Historiography, Environmentalism, and the contemporary political debate

Abstract

The paper aims to (re) discuss in a larger framework the relations between Environmental History and environmental movement. For this, it’s necessary a critical analysis of the classic national historiography, in particular those authors (like Sérgio Buarque de Holanda and Caio Prado, Jr.) who most inspired late-20th-century and early-21th-century environmental historians. This lineage of thought identified as the “notion of the ecological wastefulness of colonial economy” has been challenged in recent years by some scholars who assume a more interactivist and anthropocentric position. We defend it is in these terms that Environmental History should renegotiate the dialogue with the various sorts of political-ecological activism.