Explores how a US-led natural history survey of Puerto Rico served American Empire while yet catalyzing Boricua cultural nationalism

In Botanical Monroe Doctrine and American Empire, Darryl E. Brock interrogates the history, trajectory, and influence of an ambitious initiative to conduct a “physical and natural history survey of Porto [Puerto] Rico.” As founder of The New York Botanical Garden, Nathaniel Lord Britton’s formulation of a botanical Monroe Doctrine, reinforced by the 1912 survey proposal, served to check British and European botanical interests in the Americas. That is, American scientists would name American species according to American codes. Evolutionary theory would inform these taxonomic imperatives. Yet, while initially aligned with the “civilizing” mission, Britton’s Scientific Survey of Puerto Rico would ultimately contribute to insular modernization as well as technocratic professionalization. The survey’s foundational Taíno archaeological and jíbaro folkloric contributions would make possible today’s Caguana Indigenous Ceremonial Park and indirectly advance Boricua cultural nationalism. Moreover, the overlap of scientific production with political economy affected outcomes as diverse as bilingual education in Puerto Rico and management of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal program on the island.

The New York Academy of Sciences sponsored the Scientific Survey of Puerto Rico with the final report issued in 1970. The New York Botanical Garden conducted the research in concert with the American Museum of Natural History and the Yale Peabody Museum. Over the course of the project, Puerto Rican intellectuals and scientists endorsed and even contributed to the survey. These included Cornell-trained mycologist Carlos Chardón who later served as the University of Puerto Rico’s chancellor. Beyond natural history, the survey’s geological commitment led to its leadership advancing insular economic development via the governor’s Committee on Mineral Resources. Operations soon expanded to include the Virgin Islands and comprised nearly two dozen field expeditions. Botany alone achieved collection of ten thousand plant specimens with thirty-eight new species discovered. The nineteen published survey volumes boast some of the most complete multidisciplinary scientific descriptions of any tropical area. Brock’s groundbreaking contribution is a must-read for those interested in the history of science (including forestry and geology), Puerto Rico, and US imperialism.
 

Examines the domestic and international use of phenoxy herbicides by the United States in the mid-twentieth century.

In The Defoliation of America: Agent Orange Chemicals, Citizens, and Protests, Amy M. Hay profiles the attitudes, understandings, and motivations of grassroots activists who rose to fight the use of phenoxy herbicides, or Agent Orange chemicals as they are commonly known, in various aspects of American life during the post-WWII era. Hay focuses her analysis on citizen responses to illuminate how regulatory policies were understood, challenged, and negotiated, contributing to a growing body of research on chemical regulatory policies, risk society, and hazardous chemicals. This volume uncovers new understandings about the authority of the state and its obligation to society, the role of scientific authority and expertise, and the protests made by various groups of citizens.

First introduced in 1946, phenoxy herbicides mimic hormones in broadleaf plants, causing them to “grow to death” while grass, grains, and other monocots remain unaffected. By the 1950s, millions of pounds of these chemicals were produced annually for use in brush control, weed eradication, forest management, and other agricultural applications. Pockets of skepticism and resistance began to appear by the late 1950s, and the trend intensified after 1962 when Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring directed mainstream attention to the harm modern chemicals were causing in the natural world. It wasn’t until the Vietnam War, however, when nearly 19 million gallons of Agent Orange and related herbicides were sprayed to clear the canopy and destroy crops in Southeast Asia, that the long-term damage associated with this group of chemicals began to attract widespread attention and alarm.

Using a wide array of sources and an interdisciplinary approach, Hay contributes to the robust fields of chemical toxicity, regulation, environmental management, and public health. This study of the scientists, health and environmental activists, and veterans who fought US chemical regulatory policies and practices reveals the mechanisms, obligations, and constraints of state and scientific authority in mid-twentieth-century America. Hay also shows how these disparate and mostly forgotten citizen groups challenged the political consensus and contested government and industry narratives of chemical safety.
 

How six groundbreaking women redefined American food—what we eat, how we eat it, and why it matters.

From wartime nutrition science to modern food activism, Six Women Who Shaped What Americans Eat examines the pivotal roles six women played in rewriting the rules of American cuisine. Michelle Mart offers a rich and accessible narrative that connects dietary trends, food marketing, and public health movements to the voices of the women who helped drive them.

Part one highlights Hazel Stiebeling’s development of dietary guidelines and RDAs, Poppy Cannon’s promotion of processed foods for convenience and gourmet meals, and Julia Child’s introduction of French cuisine with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and culinary techniques. Part two shifts the focus to women who challenged the food system itself: Frances Moore Lappé’s advocacy for vegetarianism and sustainable practices, Marion Nestle’s exposure of food corporations’ manipulative practices, and Alice Waters’s emphasis on locally sourced, organic ingredients and sustainable food systems. Thoughtful and timely, this book explores how culture, politics, and personal vision collided in the kitchens and campaigns of six food pioneers—leaving a lasting imprint on what America eats today.