Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists and the Ecology of New England is a historical nonfiction book written by William Cronon and was first published by Hill and Wang in 1983. Cronon is a award-winning author, having won the Bancroft Prize in 1992 for his book, Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West. He is currently working as a Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The book analyses the relationship between Native Americans and the English colonizers who deemed the land their own. Cronon argues that Native Americans were unable to claim dominance over their land due to limitations with technology, which prevented them from making a significant impact on their land. However, Cronon does acknowledge that Native Americans had a great impact on the land itself, being able to affect less aggressive changes in the ecosystem than the English colonizers.
The book was praised by many, with The New York Times Book Review stating, "Changes in the Land exemplifies, and realizes, the promise of ecological history with stunning effect.” Richard White of Michigan State University also called it "A cogent, sophisticated, and balanced study of Indian-white contact. Gracefully written, subtly argued, and well informed, it is a work whose implications extend far beyond colonial New England."
