Salvaging Empire

Salvaging Empire probes the historical roots and current predicaments of a twenty-first century settler colony seeking to control an uncertain future through resource management and environmental science. Four decades after a violent 1982 war between the United Kingdom and Argentina reestablished British authority over the Falkland Islands (Las Malvinas in Spanish), a commercial fishing boom and offshore oil discoveries have intensified the sovereignty dispute over the South Atlantic archipelago. Scholarly literature on the South Atlantic focuses primarily on military history of the 1982 conflict. However, contested claims over natural resources have now made this disputed territory a critical site for examining the wider relationship between imperial sovereignty and environmental governance. James J. A. Blair argues that by claiming self-determination and consenting to British sovereignty, the Falkland Islanders have crafted a settler colonial protectorate to extract resources and extend empire in the South Atlantic. Responding to current debates in environmental anthropology, critical geography, Atlantic history, political ecology, and science and technology studies, Blair describes how settlers have asserted indigeneity in dynamic relation with the environment. Salvaging Empire uncovers the South Atlantic's outsized importance for understanding the broader implications of resource management and environmental science for the geopolitics of empire.

James J. A. Blair is Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Anthropology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Readers get the impression that Blair wrote this book while standing among the Falklanders, making it equally fascinating for those interested in this extraordinary location and those intrigued by environmental and colonial history. Despite its complex topic and wide variety of approaches, the language and mix of descriptive narration of episodes and reflective discussion of consequences make it a joy to read. Whether a seasoned scholar or a casual enthusiast, one will find oneself captivated by the intricacies of Falkland history and the broader implications of empire in the modern world.

Salvaging Empire is an excellent history of the Falkland islands and their industries over the decades. Blair does an excellent job of demonstrating how interconnected everything is in today's world, from global corporations to the impact countries may have on one another simply by not allowing shipping containers from another country to cross their borders.

Javiera Barandiaran, author of Science and Environment in Chile:

Salvaging Empire is an engaging analysis of the construction of political identity in the Falkland Islands through oil development, biodiversity management, and science and immigration policies. James Blair provides a welcome shift in perspective by focusing not on war or diplomatic history between nation-states but on islanders themselves.

Marcos Mendoza, University of Mississippi, author of The Patagonian Sublime:

An innovative, engaging, and insightful book. Investigating the political, socioeconomic, environmental, and technoscientific issues shaping the Falkland Islands as part of a larger South Atlantic world that includes Argentina and the British Commonwealth, it expands our understanding of South Atlantic geopolitics and global frontiers of empire.