New book by Sophie Chao – Plantations: Extraction, Extinction, Emergence

11 Jul New book by Sophie Chao – Plantations: Extraction, Extinction, Emergence

What is a plantation—and why does it matter so profoundly today?

From oil palm and coffee to sugar, rubber, and timber, plantations have transformed landscapes, livelihoods, and ecologies across the globe. In her latest book, Plantations: Extraction, Extinction, Emergence (Cambridge University Press, 2026), anthropologist and environmental humanities scholar Sophie Chao offers a compelling and accessible exploration of plantations as sites of colonialism, capitalism, environmental change, and multispecies life.

Drawing on ethnographic research from around the world, this short book reveals how plantations are contested worlds where humans, plants, animals, microbes, and infrastructures continually reshape one another. It examines the enduring legacies of empire while highlighting the creativity, resistance, and resilience of the people and more-than-human beings who inhabit plantation landscapes.

Ideal for students, researchers, and anyone interested in environmental anthropology, political ecology, Indigenous studies, and the climate crisis, Plantations offers a fresh perspective on one of the defining institutions of the modern world.

Available now from Cambridge University Press: https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/plantations/5828D9ACE0B5F9ED6E16D4CCA8C9451F