Beyond Germs

Native Depopulation in North America

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Archaeology, Cultural Studies
Cover of the book Beyond Germs by , University of Arizona Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9780816532209
Publisher: University of Arizona Press Publication: October 22, 2015
Imprint: University of Arizona Press Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9780816532209
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
Publication: October 22, 2015
Imprint: University of Arizona Press
Language: English

There is no question that European colonization introduced smallpox, measles, and other infectious diseases to the Americas, causing considerable harm and death to indigenous peoples. But though these diseases were devastating, their impact has been widely exaggerated. Warfare, enslavement, land expropriation, removals, erasure of identity, and other factors undermined Native populations. These factors worked in a deadly cabal with germs to cause epidemics, exacerbate mortality, and curtail population recovery.

Beyond Germs: Native Depopulation in North America challenges the “virgin soil” hypothesis that was used for decades to explain the decimation of the indigenous people of North America. This hypothesis argues that the massive depopulation of the New World was caused primarily by diseases brought by European colonists that infected Native populations lacking immunity to foreign pathogens. In Beyond Germs, contributors expertly argue that blaming germs lets Europeans off the hook for the enormous number of Native American deaths that occurred after 1492.

Archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians come together in this cutting-edge volume to report a wide variety of other factors in the decline in the indigenous population, including genocide, forced labor, and population dislocation. These factors led to what the editors describe in their introduction as “systemic structural violence” on the Native populations of North America.

While we may never know the full extent of Native depopulation during the colonial period because the evidence available for indigenous communities is notoriously slim and problematic, what is certain is that a generation of scholars has significantly overemphasized disease as the cause of depopulation and has downplayed the active role of Europeans in inciting wars, destroying livelihoods, and erasing identities.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

There is no question that European colonization introduced smallpox, measles, and other infectious diseases to the Americas, causing considerable harm and death to indigenous peoples. But though these diseases were devastating, their impact has been widely exaggerated. Warfare, enslavement, land expropriation, removals, erasure of identity, and other factors undermined Native populations. These factors worked in a deadly cabal with germs to cause epidemics, exacerbate mortality, and curtail population recovery.

Beyond Germs: Native Depopulation in North America challenges the “virgin soil” hypothesis that was used for decades to explain the decimation of the indigenous people of North America. This hypothesis argues that the massive depopulation of the New World was caused primarily by diseases brought by European colonists that infected Native populations lacking immunity to foreign pathogens. In Beyond Germs, contributors expertly argue that blaming germs lets Europeans off the hook for the enormous number of Native American deaths that occurred after 1492.

Archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians come together in this cutting-edge volume to report a wide variety of other factors in the decline in the indigenous population, including genocide, forced labor, and population dislocation. These factors led to what the editors describe in their introduction as “systemic structural violence” on the Native populations of North America.

While we may never know the full extent of Native depopulation during the colonial period because the evidence available for indigenous communities is notoriously slim and problematic, what is certain is that a generation of scholars has significantly overemphasized disease as the cause of depopulation and has downplayed the active role of Europeans in inciting wars, destroying livelihoods, and erasing identities.

More books from University of Arizona Press

Cover of the book Negotiating Tribal Water Rights by
Cover of the book Prehistoric Culture Change on the Colorado Plateau by
Cover of the book Living with the Dead in the Andes by
Cover of the book Water in the Hispanic Southwest by
Cover of the book In the Shadow of Cortés by
Cover of the book All They Will Call You by
Cover of the book Ancient Paquimé and the Casas Grandes World by
Cover of the book Off-Trail Adventures in Baja California by
Cover of the book Hogs, Mules, and Yellow Dogs by
Cover of the book Nobody Rich or Famous by
Cover of the book Capture These Indians for the Lord by
Cover of the book Beliefs and Holy Places by
Cover of the book Mapping Wonderlands by
Cover of the book Mexican Melodrama by
Cover of the book Looking Like the Enemy by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy