American Tropics

“Raby’s study contributes a crucial and expansive narrative of biological connections and a politically informed evolution of ideas. Like the best histories, her work opens avenues for further research on an important and timely subject.”—Environmental History

“A remarkably persuasive genealogy of ideas. . . . An important contribution to our understanding of science in the Caribbean, and of the way supposedly universal knowledge is always a local hybrid.”—Brill Journals

“Thorough and ground-breaking. . . . Raby marshals a breathtaking amount of evidence.”—American Historical Review

“This book is eminently recommendable. Raby has given us needed insight into the history of tropical American science within the context of imperial expansion and the construction of Caribbean hegemony.”—H-Net Reviews

“Skillfully shows the strategic and serendipitous ways field science coincided with political and economic imperial pursuits in the twentieth century. This enlarged context greatly expands how we can look at both the process and knowledge of science as products of social contingencies.”—Edge Effects

“American Tropics is not only the best book we have on the scientific reinvention of ‘the tropics’ across the twentieth century, but it is also a tour de force demonstration of how the ideal of biodiversity emerged from place-based field practices. This is a history that matters to the future of tropical science and conservation.”—Paul Sutter, University of Colorado Boulder

“The first book to situate the rise of the scientific concept of biodiversity within its larger circum-Caribbean context, American Tropics is a sophisticated and compelling journey through the research practices at field stations outside the U.S. mainland in Cuba, Jamaica, Guyana, and Panama. Using these stations as launching points, Raby skillfully shows the strategic and serendipitous ways these encounters mapped onto political and economic imperial pursuits. Such insights will echo through our understandings of tropical life as a resource for generations to come.”—Emily Wakild, author of Revolutionary Parks

“Blending intellectual, institutional, social, environmental, and political history, Raby reveals that the now-abstract, theoretical concept of ‘biodiversity’ was rooted in the ideas and ambitions of several generations of U.S. biologists. Built on a truly impressive archival foundation, this study offers a rich, nuanced understanding of the personal and institutional relations that drove this scientific work.”—Stuart McCook, University of Guelph