In the world today nature limps under the exploitation of man, as also the forests and the living creatures that dwell within them. It is necessary therefore that a world history be written from the perspective of the weak; of that which has been controlled and exploited. What must be exposed is the truth that has been buried in our conventional understanding of a world history. This book brings us a diversity of stories concerning the relationship between the forest and the human community. Reflecting upon our current understanding of civilisations, leading scholars from different areas of specialisation conduct a common and vitally fundamental enquiry into our global environment. Their alternative cultural traditions provide us with a fresh and stimulating perspective from which the western legacy that has generated both the technological achievements and the environmental problems so emblematic of Western civilisations can be viewed. Forest and Civilisations exposes us to important ideas inherited from ancient peoples’ relationship with forests and gives us an opportunity to draw inspiration from them in defining a new world view.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Yoshinori Yasuda
Professor Yoshinori Yasuda was born in 1946 in Mie prefecture in Japan. Since 1994 he has been a professor at the International Research Center for Japanese Studies in Kyoto (IRCJS). In 1996 he won the Chunichi cultural prize. In the same year he was a visiting professor at Humboldt University in Berlin. In 1997, he was appointed, in addition to his position at the IRCJS, as a professor at the Faculty of Science, Kyoto University. Since 1997, he has been a leader of the YRCP project. In 1980 professor Yasuda established the first unit of environmental archaeology in Japan. Since then he has conducted research in many countires including Korea, Greece, Turkey, India, China and the Himalayan region. Among Professor Yasuda's numerous publications are many books on environmental archaeology and related subjects. They include An Introduction to Environmental Archaeology (NHK books, Tokyo, 1980). Jomon Culture in World History (Yuzankaku, Tokyo, 1980), Forest Destruction and Rise and Fall of Civilization (Shisakusha, Tokyo, 1988), Forest and Civilization (Chikumashobo, Tokyo, 1994), Environment and Civilization (15 vols.) (Asakurashoten, Tokyo, 1995/6), and Forest and Japanese culture (Shinshisakusha, Tokyo, 1996),
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