In Search of the Rain Forest

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The essays collected here provide new insights into the various images and rhetoric surrounding the rain forest. The popular slogan “Save the Rain Forest!” promotes an idealized view of a wild and vulnerable ecosystem, often depicted through glossy images of towering trees and exotic wildlife. While these representations have inspired commendable conservation efforts, they can also be detrimental, as the essays illustrate. Such portrayals often mask the biological diversity of rain forests and the complexities of their human populations, as well as the intricate local and global interactions that shape these environments. This volume examines specific representations of rain forests and their implications for both inhabitants and outsiders. Contributors from diverse fields—history, archaeology, sociology, literature, law, and cultural anthropology—offer case studies from Latin America, Asia, and Africa. They explore the evolution of the rain forest image, which became prevalent in the late twentieth century, influencing the actions of corporations, environmental groups, and governments. Simplistic views can lead companies to promote “green” technologies while ignoring indigenous dissent or prompt governments to establish reserves that displace local communities. By fostering a nuanced understanding of rain forests as dynamic entities with rich social and natural histories, this collection underscores the need for protection e