Global imaginary of arid lands: Early twentieth-century united states botanists in Africa

Katherine G. Morrissey, Marcus A. Burtner

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

From the 1890s through the 1930s, arid land scientists drew connections between US and African landscapes. As they studied desert nature at home and abroad, modified agricultural landscapes and collected and described species in the world’s deserts, they envisioned a global imaginary. This paper traces these connections and transformations, using the Sonoran Desert and US southwestern botanical scientists who traversed abroad - including William Cannon, Edgar Mearns, Robert Forbes and Homer Shantz - as case studies.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)102-133
Number of pages32
JournalGlobal Environment
Volume12
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2019

Keywords

  • Arid lands
  • Sahara
  • Sonoran desert

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Global and Planetary Change
  • History
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

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