Provides a solid foundation for understanding American agricultural
history and offers new directions for research
A Companion to American Agricultural History addresses the key aspects
of America's complex agricultural past from 8,000 BCE to the first
decades of the twenty-first century. Bringing together more than thirty
original essays by both established and emerging scholars, this
innovative volume presents a succinct and accessible overview of
American agricultural history while delivering a state-of-the-art
assessment of modern scholarship on a diversity of subjects, themes, and
issues.
The essays provide readers with starting points for their exploration of
American agricultural history--whether in general or in regards to a
specific topic--and highlights the many ways the agricultural history of
America is of integral importance to the wider American experience.
Individual essays trace the origin and development of agricultural
politics and policies, examine changes in science, technology, and
government regulations, offer analytical suggestions for new research
areas, discuss matters of ethnicity and gender in American agriculture,
and more. This Companion:
- Introduces readers to a uniquely wide range of topics within the study
of American agricultural history
- Provides a narrative summary and a critical examination of
field-defining works
- Introduces specific topics within American agricultural history such
as agrarian reform, agribusiness, and agricultural power and
production
- Discusses the impacts of American agriculture on different groups
including Native Americans, African Americans, and European, Asian,
and Latinx immigrants
- Views the agricultural history of America through new
interdisciplinary lenses of race, class, and the environment
- Explores depictions of American agriculture in film, popular music,
literature, and art
A Companion to American Agricultural History is an essential resource
for introductory students and general readers seeking a concise overview
of the subject, and for graduate students and scholars wanting to learn
about a particular aspect of American agricultural history.
