PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

In a complex project such as this handbook series of the Anthropocene from Latin America, it seems appropriate to provide guidelines to facilitate reading for all kinds of audiences. The handbook is neither a simple edited volume nor a com- pendium. Rather, it is organized according to a conceptual matrix in order to un- derstand and address the Anthropocene’s genealogy from Latin America. Therefore, all volumes have the same basic structure. Each is structured by a temporal axis di- vided into three historical periods: the colonial era, the middle of the nineteenth century to 1950, and 1950 to the present day. In turn, each of these respective pe- riods is preceded by a general historical introduction to the topic. This allows for a contextualization from a broad Latin American perspective, making it easier for the reader to navigate the general debates. After this contextual introduction, the main entries follow. These entries synthetically discuss the Anthropocene’s genealogy with respect to the volume’s theme in large regions of Latin America. From the south to the north of the Latin American continent, the reader will find for each of the three historical periods five descriptive and analytical chapters of about 10,000 words, including a coherent bibliography, on the Southern Cone, the Andes, the Amazon, Mesoamerica, and the Caribbean. To depict the structure of the handbook’s matrix in more detail, we first present a concise characterization of the three relevant pe- riods, placing special emphasis on the phases of intensification and acceleration of anthropocenic dynamics. Secondly, we present the regions of Latin America and the Caribbean that will help us to analyze anthropocenic dynamics beyond the method- ological nationalism that still predominates in the social sciences. And thirdly, we explore the different elements and variables that are covered in this volume on land use.