20世纪90年代以前美国环境史研究的特点

在20世纪90年代以前,美国环境史研究具有以下三个特点:就研究范围而言,研究的主要问题都属于自然保护和资源保护的范畴,荒野研究成为美国环境史研究最鲜明的特色,而城市及人工环境则未受到应有的重视。其次,从价值取向上说,环境史研究具有显著的环境保护主义的道德和政治诉求。环境保护主义既使环境史受益,使环境史具有鲜明的文化批判意识,同时,它也限制了环境史的未来发展。最后,环境史研究具有比较明显的时空特点:就时间而言,它研究的主要是近现代;就空间而言,美国环境史优先研究的地域首先是西部,其次是东北部,最后是南部。

The Characteristics of Environmental History Studies before 1990 in the USA

Before 1990, environmental history studies in the USA shows some distinctive characteristics in terms of the subject, the value, and the era as well as the region. Totally speaking, before 1990 American-generated environmental history always confined their subjects to conservation and preservation, and tended to neglect the urban or built environment. In the meantime, environmental history studies before 1990 constantly took on the nature of advocacy influenced by environmentalism, and smacked of a distinctive cultural critique. Moreover, most of the environmental historians at that time were inclined to study the modern era. In addition, environmental history studies up to date still gives priority to the West, then the Northeast, and then the South.