New Books Network Stevan Harrell, "An Ecological History of Modern China" (U Washington Press, 2023)
Feb 1, 2026
Stevan Harrell, professor emeritus of anthropology and environmental and forest sciences with decades studying China’s environment. He discusses ecological history and a systems-focused view of China’s transformation. He frames the Great Leap Forward as an ecological catastrophe. He explores mechanized agriculture, rigidity traps from infrastructure, and hopes like reforestation alongside persistent worries about water, soil, floods, and emissions.
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Systems-Focused Ecological History
- Ecological history blends natural science with social variables to view humans as part of coupled social-ecological systems.
- Stevan Harrell emphasizes systems interactions, feedbacks, and multi-variable dynamics over single causal narratives.
Why The PRC Underinvested In Agriculture
- The PRC prioritized industrial investment over rural capital because of Soviet models and security priorities.
- Harrell argues the state redirected rural surplus into national industry rather than directly funding countryside modernization.
Four Horsemen Of The Eco‑Pocalypse
- The Great Leap Forward became an 'eco-pocalypse' from four systemic distortions: single-variable maximization, steel obsession, top-down panaceas, and ignored feedbacks.
- These distortions broke social-ecological feedbacks and produced widespread environmental and human collapse.
