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A review by elcilor
Islands: From Atlantis to Zanzibar by Steven Roger Fischer
Islands provides a bird's-eye view of numerous islands. The book hops from island to island, covering various themes from a historical perspective, spanning millions of years up to the present day: geology, biology, the first inhabitants, the discovery of many islands, trade and livelihoods, politics, and the unfortunate wars and colonization that often followed. It also explores islands in literature and film, as well as art, dance and music forms native to islands. Fischer discusses how islanders and non-islanders perceive islands, and concludes with a chapter that briefly touches upon many diverse themes, also highlighting the constants found in the earlier chapters. The closing message is a familiar one in non-fiction works with a global historical-geographical perspective: the future dangers of climate change, rising sea levels (especially relevant for islands), and pollution. In my opinion, the familiarity of these threats should make us take them even more seriously, despite becoming desensitized to them.
One striking observation is the way exotic islands have been perceived in Western historical thought, oscillating between two extremes: either heavenly or hellish. Through Robinson Crusoe and other literary works, the original fearsome image of islands was replaced with an idyllic one. However, after many islands were colonized, Europeans soon realized it wasn’t all paradise: massacres, tropical mosquitoes, a lack of resources, isolation, torrential rain, hard labor, and hostile indigenous populations (many of whom also perished in large numbers due to diseases and atrocities brought by Europeans) quickly replaced the idyll with a new image of horror in the 19th century. Only in the 20th century, with the advent of electricity, connectivity, planes, and vaccines, did exotic islands regain their appeal.
Another prominent theme is how colonialism, imperialism, and globalization have permanently altered islands and continue to do so. In many cases, First Nations have suffered even more than the local environment. While explorers and their crews sometimes also died en masse, it was still a highly profitable business: just one shipment of imported cloves could bring in more than Magellan's entire three-year expedition had cost.
Islands, of course, host vast biodiversity that is rapidly declining. Is this a problem? Perhaps in more ways than we think. The author cites an example of an exotic plant in Madagascar that produces compounds with healing properties against leukemia. Without this plant, which was on the brink of extinction, leukemia would be an even more dangerous condition than it already is. Many exotic plant species could have similar, yet unknown, importance for humanity.
Islands also play a significant role on the world stage: Japan is the third-largest economy in the world, and the United Kingdom the sixth. Several events that shaped human history took place on islands: the battle of Syracuse, Columbus's discovery of America at the Bahamas, Darwin's expedition, the Battle of Guadalcanal (1942-1943), the Cuban Missile Crisis, and September 11th (Manhattan is an island). Future tensions concerning Taiwan could also have far-reaching consequences.
Islands is an engaging work with a global perspective, filled with entertaining, peculiar, and occasionally eerie anecdotes. I certainly enjoyed reading it.
One striking observation is the way exotic islands have been perceived in Western historical thought, oscillating between two extremes: either heavenly or hellish. Through Robinson Crusoe and other literary works, the original fearsome image of islands was replaced with an idyllic one. However, after many islands were colonized, Europeans soon realized it wasn’t all paradise: massacres, tropical mosquitoes, a lack of resources, isolation, torrential rain, hard labor, and hostile indigenous populations (many of whom also perished in large numbers due to diseases and atrocities brought by Europeans) quickly replaced the idyll with a new image of horror in the 19th century. Only in the 20th century, with the advent of electricity, connectivity, planes, and vaccines, did exotic islands regain their appeal.
Another prominent theme is how colonialism, imperialism, and globalization have permanently altered islands and continue to do so. In many cases, First Nations have suffered even more than the local environment. While explorers and their crews sometimes also died en masse, it was still a highly profitable business: just one shipment of imported cloves could bring in more than Magellan's entire three-year expedition had cost.
Islands, of course, host vast biodiversity that is rapidly declining. Is this a problem? Perhaps in more ways than we think. The author cites an example of an exotic plant in Madagascar that produces compounds with healing properties against leukemia. Without this plant, which was on the brink of extinction, leukemia would be an even more dangerous condition than it already is. Many exotic plant species could have similar, yet unknown, importance for humanity.
Islands also play a significant role on the world stage: Japan is the third-largest economy in the world, and the United Kingdom the sixth. Several events that shaped human history took place on islands: the battle of Syracuse, Columbus's discovery of America at the Bahamas, Darwin's expedition, the Battle of Guadalcanal (1942-1943), the Cuban Missile Crisis, and September 11th (Manhattan is an island). Future tensions concerning Taiwan could also have far-reaching consequences.
Islands is an engaging work with a global perspective, filled with entertaining, peculiar, and occasionally eerie anecdotes. I certainly enjoyed reading it.