Author: Gregg Mitman
Publisher: The New Press
ISBN: 1620973782
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 331
Book Description
An ambitious and shocking exposé of America’s hidden empire in Liberia, run by the storied Firestone corporation, and its long shadow In the early 1920s, Americans owned 80 percent of the world’s automobiles and consumed 75 percent of the world’s rubber. But only one percent of the world’s rubber grew under the U.S. flag, creating a bottleneck that hampered the nation’s explosive economic expansion. To solve its conundrum, the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company turned to a tiny West African nation, Liberia, founded in 1847 as a free Black republic. Empire of Rubber tells a sweeping story of capitalism, racial exploitation, and environmental devastation, as Firestone transformed Liberia into America’s rubber empire. Historian and filmmaker Gregg Mitman scoured remote archives to unearth a history of promises unfulfilled for the vast numbers of Liberians who toiled on rubber plantations built on taken land. Mitman reveals a history of racial segregation and medical experimentation that reflected Jim Crow America—on African soil. As Firestone reaped fortunes, wealth and power concentrated in the hands of a few elites, fostering widespread inequalities that fed unrest, rebellions and, eventually, civil war. A riveting narrative of ecology and disease, of commerce and science, and of racial politics and political maneuvering, Empire of Rubber uncovers the hidden story of a corporate empire whose tentacles reach into the present.
Empire of Rubber
Author: Gregg Mitman
Publisher: The New Press
ISBN: 1620973782
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 331
Book Description
An ambitious and shocking exposé of America’s hidden empire in Liberia, run by the storied Firestone corporation, and its long shadow In the early 1920s, Americans owned 80 percent of the world’s automobiles and consumed 75 percent of the world’s rubber. But only one percent of the world’s rubber grew under the U.S. flag, creating a bottleneck that hampered the nation’s explosive economic expansion. To solve its conundrum, the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company turned to a tiny West African nation, Liberia, founded in 1847 as a free Black republic. Empire of Rubber tells a sweeping story of capitalism, racial exploitation, and environmental devastation, as Firestone transformed Liberia into America’s rubber empire. Historian and filmmaker Gregg Mitman scoured remote archives to unearth a history of promises unfulfilled for the vast numbers of Liberians who toiled on rubber plantations built on taken land. Mitman reveals a history of racial segregation and medical experimentation that reflected Jim Crow America—on African soil. As Firestone reaped fortunes, wealth and power concentrated in the hands of a few elites, fostering widespread inequalities that fed unrest, rebellions and, eventually, civil war. A riveting narrative of ecology and disease, of commerce and science, and of racial politics and political maneuvering, Empire of Rubber uncovers the hidden story of a corporate empire whose tentacles reach into the present.
Publisher: The New Press
ISBN: 1620973782
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 331
Book Description
An ambitious and shocking exposé of America’s hidden empire in Liberia, run by the storied Firestone corporation, and its long shadow In the early 1920s, Americans owned 80 percent of the world’s automobiles and consumed 75 percent of the world’s rubber. But only one percent of the world’s rubber grew under the U.S. flag, creating a bottleneck that hampered the nation’s explosive economic expansion. To solve its conundrum, the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company turned to a tiny West African nation, Liberia, founded in 1847 as a free Black republic. Empire of Rubber tells a sweeping story of capitalism, racial exploitation, and environmental devastation, as Firestone transformed Liberia into America’s rubber empire. Historian and filmmaker Gregg Mitman scoured remote archives to unearth a history of promises unfulfilled for the vast numbers of Liberians who toiled on rubber plantations built on taken land. Mitman reveals a history of racial segregation and medical experimentation that reflected Jim Crow America—on African soil. As Firestone reaped fortunes, wealth and power concentrated in the hands of a few elites, fostering widespread inequalities that fed unrest, rebellions and, eventually, civil war. A riveting narrative of ecology and disease, of commerce and science, and of racial politics and political maneuvering, Empire of Rubber uncovers the hidden story of a corporate empire whose tentacles reach into the present.
Rubber and the Making of Vietnam
Author: Michitake Aso
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781469637143
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Civilizing latex -- Cultivating science -- Managing disease -- Turning tropical -- Maintaining modernity -- Decolonizing plantations -- Militarizing rubber
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781469637143
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Civilizing latex -- Cultivating science -- Managing disease -- Turning tropical -- Maintaining modernity -- Decolonizing plantations -- Militarizing rubber
Assessment of governance mechanisms, livelihood outcomes and incentive instruments for green rubber in Myanmar
Author: Miles Kenney-Lazar
Publisher: CIFOR
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 26
Book Description
Over the past decade, rubber cultivation has expanded throughout the Mekong region, from established centers of production in Thailand, China and Vietnam to new sites in Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. Rubber has brought opportunities for increased incomes and livelihood improvement as well as social and environmental risks. The2012 drop in rubber prices has sent the sector into disarray, halting the expansion of rubber and constraining the ability of farmers and companies to profit. This study examines how rubber production in Myanmar is governed, especially the socio-ecological dynamics of varying forms of production: smallholding, contract farming and large-scale estate plantations. Based upon an analysis of secondary literature and interviews with key stakeholders, it was found that rubber production in Myanmar is for the most part not green, meaning that it has not reduced poverty and protected ecosystem services and forested areas. The price crash has prevented most smallholding farmers from increasing their income. Wages on large-scale plantations have been low and only a limited amount of work for Myanmar people is available. Large-scale estates have been developed on land expropriated from communities and have replaced forested areas that provide important ecosystem services to local communities. The paper argues that if rubber is to be truly green then significant changes to production and trade must be made, including minimum price supports from the state, appropriate land use planning measures, the establishment of cooperatives, theprotection of community land rights, and the implementation of agroforestry rubber production models.
Publisher: CIFOR
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 26
Book Description
Over the past decade, rubber cultivation has expanded throughout the Mekong region, from established centers of production in Thailand, China and Vietnam to new sites in Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. Rubber has brought opportunities for increased incomes and livelihood improvement as well as social and environmental risks. The2012 drop in rubber prices has sent the sector into disarray, halting the expansion of rubber and constraining the ability of farmers and companies to profit. This study examines how rubber production in Myanmar is governed, especially the socio-ecological dynamics of varying forms of production: smallholding, contract farming and large-scale estate plantations. Based upon an analysis of secondary literature and interviews with key stakeholders, it was found that rubber production in Myanmar is for the most part not green, meaning that it has not reduced poverty and protected ecosystem services and forested areas. The price crash has prevented most smallholding farmers from increasing their income. Wages on large-scale plantations have been low and only a limited amount of work for Myanmar people is available. Large-scale estates have been developed on land expropriated from communities and have replaced forested areas that provide important ecosystem services to local communities. The paper argues that if rubber is to be truly green then significant changes to production and trade must be made, including minimum price supports from the state, appropriate land use planning measures, the establishment of cooperatives, theprotection of community land rights, and the implementation of agroforestry rubber production models.
Planting Empire, Cultivating Subjects
Author: Lynn Hollen Lees
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107038405
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 379
Book Description
This is an innovative study of how British Colonial rule and society in Malayan towns and plantations transformed immigrants into British subjects.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107038405
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 379
Book Description
This is an innovative study of how British Colonial rule and society in Malayan towns and plantations transformed immigrants into British subjects.
Plant Conservation and Biodiversity
Author: David L. Hawksworth
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402064446
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 421
Book Description
Original studies address key aspects of the conservation and biodiversity of plants. Articles are all peer-reviewed primary research papers, contributed by leading biodiversity researchers from around the world. Collectively, these articles provide a snapshot of the major issues and activities in global plant conservation. Many of the articles can serve as excellent case studies for courses in ecology, restoration, biodiversity, and conservation.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1402064446
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 421
Book Description
Original studies address key aspects of the conservation and biodiversity of plants. Articles are all peer-reviewed primary research papers, contributed by leading biodiversity researchers from around the world. Collectively, these articles provide a snapshot of the major issues and activities in global plant conservation. Many of the articles can serve as excellent case studies for courses in ecology, restoration, biodiversity, and conservation.
Rubber Plantations and Carbon Management
Author: Arun Jyoti Nath
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 0429657420
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 127
Book Description
With the increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and the resulting environmental consequences for plants, it is necessary to consider the future of rubber plantations, an important source of latex for rubber production. In this volume, the authors explore the ecology of rubber plantations in the context of carbon management under a scenario of our changing climate. The authors provide an in-depth study of the carbon stock and sequestration potentiality of rubber plantations. The volume also provides information on a biomass estimating model that can be used in the future study of non-harvesting biomass estimation for a variety of plants. Key features: • Provides an understanding of the role of rubber plantations in carbon management • Presents biomass models and biomass carbon stocks • Explores the impact of land use changes on soil organic carbon • Looks at ecosystem carbon sequestration • Explores methods of allometric model development for different growth ages of rubber plantations • Advances our knowledge of the global carbon cycle that will be helpful in studying changing environmental effects on other crops and plant products.
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 0429657420
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 127
Book Description
With the increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and the resulting environmental consequences for plants, it is necessary to consider the future of rubber plantations, an important source of latex for rubber production. In this volume, the authors explore the ecology of rubber plantations in the context of carbon management under a scenario of our changing climate. The authors provide an in-depth study of the carbon stock and sequestration potentiality of rubber plantations. The volume also provides information on a biomass estimating model that can be used in the future study of non-harvesting biomass estimation for a variety of plants. Key features: • Provides an understanding of the role of rubber plantations in carbon management • Presents biomass models and biomass carbon stocks • Explores the impact of land use changes on soil organic carbon • Looks at ecosystem carbon sequestration • Explores methods of allometric model development for different growth ages of rubber plantations • Advances our knowledge of the global carbon cycle that will be helpful in studying changing environmental effects on other crops and plant products.
Colons and Coolies
Author: Margaret Slocomb
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cambodia
Languages : en
Pages : 202
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cambodia
Languages : en
Pages : 202
Book Description
The United States and the Malaysian Economy
Author: Shakila Yacob
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134084463
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 268
Book Description
Introduction : The US, colonial rule and the Malayan economy -- US and Malaya connections: 1870-1918 -- strengthening ties, 1919-1957 -- Mining : Yukon gold to Pacific tin -- Plantation : United States Rubber Company -- Taking the high road : Ford Malaya -- Conclusion : counting the cost -- Epilogue : the future looks bright.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134084463
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 268
Book Description
Introduction : The US, colonial rule and the Malayan economy -- US and Malaya connections: 1870-1918 -- strengthening ties, 1919-1957 -- Mining : Yukon gold to Pacific tin -- Plantation : United States Rubber Company -- Taking the high road : Ford Malaya -- Conclusion : counting the cost -- Epilogue : the future looks bright.
De-centring Land Grabbing
Author: Peter Vandergeest
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 135113485X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 345
Book Description
Southeast Asia has been portrayed as a key site in the global land grab. Featuring leading scholars in the field, this collection critically examines the nature and extent of land grabbing in Southeast Asia, and seeks to locate this phenomena in broader agrarian and environmental transitions (AET). The individual contributions suggest that there is little evidence of a global land grab in Southeast Asia, but that over the last ten years the surge of plantations and processes of land grabbing has been a key feature in the region. The collection considers how broader AET processes may be brought more clearly into focus by decentring land grabbing, including consideration of its absence as well presence. The diversity of cases in this collection coalesces around the productive tension in land grab studies between global capitalist processes on the one hand, and context-specificity and contingent motivations fuelling the expansion of large-scale plantations for oil palm, rubber, cassava and other cash crops, on the other hand. The contributors further broaden the entry points to consider cross-sectoral AET processes such as enclosures for mining, conservation and hydropower and explore the contingencies that help to maintain smallholder production. The chapters originally published as a special issue in The Journal of Peasant Studies.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 135113485X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 345
Book Description
Southeast Asia has been portrayed as a key site in the global land grab. Featuring leading scholars in the field, this collection critically examines the nature and extent of land grabbing in Southeast Asia, and seeks to locate this phenomena in broader agrarian and environmental transitions (AET). The individual contributions suggest that there is little evidence of a global land grab in Southeast Asia, but that over the last ten years the surge of plantations and processes of land grabbing has been a key feature in the region. The collection considers how broader AET processes may be brought more clearly into focus by decentring land grabbing, including consideration of its absence as well presence. The diversity of cases in this collection coalesces around the productive tension in land grab studies between global capitalist processes on the one hand, and context-specificity and contingent motivations fuelling the expansion of large-scale plantations for oil palm, rubber, cassava and other cash crops, on the other hand. The contributors further broaden the entry points to consider cross-sectoral AET processes such as enclosures for mining, conservation and hydropower and explore the contingencies that help to maintain smallholder production. The chapters originally published as a special issue in The Journal of Peasant Studies.
Land Use, Nature Conservation and the Stability of Rainforest Margins in Southeast Asia
Author: Gerhard Gerold
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3662082373
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 614
Book Description
Southeast Asia constitutes one of the world's most extended rainforest regions. It is characterized by a high degree of biodiversity and contains a large variety of endemic species. Moreover, these forests provide a number of important and sin gular ecosystem services, like erosion protection and provision of high quality wa ter, which cannot be replaced by alternative ecosystems. However, various forms of encroachment, mostly those made by human interventions, seriously threaten the continuance of rainforests in this area. There is ample evidence that the rainforest resources, apart from large scale commercial logging, are exposed to danger particularly from its margin areas. These areas, which are characterized by intensive man-nature interaction, have been identified as extremely fragile systems. The dynamic equilibrium that bal ances human needs and interventions on the one hand, and natural regeneration capacity on the other, is at stake. The decrease of rainforest resources is, to a sub stantial degree, connected with the destabilization of these systems. Accordingly, the search for measures and processes, which prevent destabilization and promote stability is regarded as imperative. This refers to both the human and the natural part of the forest margin ecosystem.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3662082373
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 614
Book Description
Southeast Asia constitutes one of the world's most extended rainforest regions. It is characterized by a high degree of biodiversity and contains a large variety of endemic species. Moreover, these forests provide a number of important and sin gular ecosystem services, like erosion protection and provision of high quality wa ter, which cannot be replaced by alternative ecosystems. However, various forms of encroachment, mostly those made by human interventions, seriously threaten the continuance of rainforests in this area. There is ample evidence that the rainforest resources, apart from large scale commercial logging, are exposed to danger particularly from its margin areas. These areas, which are characterized by intensive man-nature interaction, have been identified as extremely fragile systems. The dynamic equilibrium that bal ances human needs and interventions on the one hand, and natural regeneration capacity on the other, is at stake. The decrease of rainforest resources is, to a sub stantial degree, connected with the destabilization of these systems. Accordingly, the search for measures and processes, which prevent destabilization and promote stability is regarded as imperative. This refers to both the human and the natural part of the forest margin ecosystem.