Widespread human alteration of the planet has led many scholars to claim that we have entered a new epoch in geological time the Anthropocene an age dominated by humanity This ethnography is the first to directly engage the Anthropocene tackling its problems & paradoxes from the vantage point of the world's largest tropical rainforest Drawing from extensive ethnographic research Nicholas Kawa examines how pre-Columbian Amerindians & contemporary rural Amazonians have shaped their environment describing in vivid detail their use & management of the region's soils plants & forests At the same time he highlights the ways in which the Amazonian environment resists human manipulation & control-a vital reminder in this time of perceived human dominance Written in engaging accessible prose Amazonia in the Anthropocene offers an innovative contribution to debates about humanity's place on the planet encouraging deeper ecocentric thinking & a more inclusive vision of ecology for the future