This edited book, by Rosalina Díaz, represents a radical form of ethnography, as it presents the voices of academic scholars and scientists side by side with those of grassroots activists, native healers and community herbalists, in addressing issues of cultural and indigenous identity, agroecology, sustainability and self-determination in the Greater Antillean region of the Caribbean.
"In Decolonizing Paradise, Rosalina Díaz blends the voices of scientists with local healers and activists to explore a radical ethnography of plants and people in the Caribbean. Through their lived experiences in this crucially important bioregion, herbalists, brujas, and western-trained scientists resurrect and reveal indigenous and diasporic plant wisdom that has long been denigrated. This collection is an important ethnobotanical starting point for the colonized people of the Caribbean to redress centuries of cultural and environmental injustice."
―Robert Voeks, Author of The Ethnobotany of Eden: Rethinking the Jungle Medicine Narrative
"At a time when the world is intensely focused on finding solutions to complex and existential environmental issues, Decolonizing Paradise is an indispensable tool for those wanting to engage in collective action in the Caribbean. This timely anthology of scholars, scientists, farmers, grassroots activists and environmentalists provides both historical context and an agenda for the sustainable environmental future of the region, with a particular emphasis on Puerto Rico.
Decolonizing Paradise will quickly become essential reading for those interested in the Caribbean’s environmental struggles, particularly as understood and analyzed by those who are currently in the trenches. Decolonizing Paradise also provides hope and inspiration for all those―students, policy makers, activists and scholars―who want to see change happen in the Caribbean."
―Felix V Matos Rodriguez, Chancellor of the City University of New York (CUNY), Author of Women and Urban Change in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1820–1868
"Decolonizing Paradise is a must-read primer for anyone interested in an insider perspective of environmental stewardship in the Caribbean region, as told by the voices of those currently active in the movement. In recognizing the long-standing environmental conflicts, clashes and actions of local activists and community groups, this book rectifies historical omissions and misperceptions, and challenges the still prevailing narrative of inaction and dependence that has wrongly stigmatized this population for centuries."
―Alexis Massol-Gonzalez, Founding Director of Casa Pueblo of Adjuntas; Recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize (2002)
Rosalina Díaz earned her doctorate in urban education and anthropology from the CUNY Graduate Center. Currently, she is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Medgar Evers College, CUNY. She has published extensively on the subject of educational anthropology, gender, indigeneity and environmental justice and remains committed to the ongoing struggle for decolonization, self-determination and environmental sustainability in the Caribbean region.
