Writing visual histories

‘new and scientifically grounded philosophies of history’ (Pamela Edwards, Chapter 11, p. 306). The final two chapters engage critically with the legacy of early modern state-of-nature theories in the present day. Tom Sparks (Chapter 13) highlights the extent to which state-ofnature theories from the early modern period still resonate in International Environmental Law, if not always in beneficial ways. Thus Sparks argues that early modern notions of nature as a resource to be exploited as well as concepts of sovereignty over territory established to prevent chaos, in the present day impede the development of international law and thus moves towards more effective environmental protection. Karl Widerquist and Grant S. McCall (Chapter 14) engage with ‘destructive myths’ derived from Hobbesian and Lockean state-of-nature theories and question the evidence on which they are based (p. 400). They challenge, for instance, widely held assumptions that ‘sovereign states and/or the liberal private property rights system benefit everyone’ or that ‘only private liberal ownership systems develop naturally’ (p. 400). Drawing on anthropological and historical evidence of actual people living in stateless societies with common or shared property, they not only disprove Hobbesian and Lockean assumptions about the state of nature, but also postulate alternative models of communal life which might provide greater freedom and equality for all. Overall, the chapters in this collection show the state of nature as a multi-faceted and versatile concept, whose origins can be traced back much further than the early modern period, and which could be used both to justify subjugation and oppression as well as quests for liberty. Informative, highly readable and generally concise, the chapters in this book can be studied individually or as a whole as useful introductions to new research. The chapters’ close engagement with a number of canonical texts in a variety of contexts also makes this collection ideal for postgraduate teaching.