Beyond Germs : Native Depopulation in North America / edited by Catherine M. Cameron, Paul Kelton, and Alan C. Swedlund.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Beyond Germs challenges the hypothesis that the massive depopulation of the New World was primarily caused by diseases brought by Europeans, which scholars used for decades to explain the decimation of the indigenous peoples of North America. Contributors argue that blaming germs downplays the active role of Europeans in inciting wars, destroying livelihoods, and erasing identities"--Provided by publisher.

Introduction / Paul Kelton, Alan C. Swedlund, and Catherine M. Cameron -- Death, uncertainty, and rhetoric / David S. Jones -- Population decline and culture change in the American midcontinent : bridging the prehistoric and historic divide / George R. Milner -- Colonialism and decline in the American southeast : the remarkable record of la Florida / Clark Spencer Larsen -- Beyond epidemics : a bioarchaeological perspective on Pueblo-Spanish encounters in the American southwest / Debra l. Martin -- Identity erasure and demographic impacts of the Spanish caste system upon the indigenous populations of New Mexico / Gerardo GutieÌrrez -- Contagion, conflict, and captivity in interior New England : Native American and European contacts in the middle Connecticut River valley of Massachusetts, 1640-2004 / Alan C. Swedlund -- The effects of warfare and captive-taking on indigenous mortality in post-contact North America / Catherine M. Cameron -- Remembering Cherokee mortality during the American Revolution / Paul Kelton -- Quality of life : native communities within and beyond the bounds of institution in California / Kathleen l. Hull -- Not microbes alone : colonialism, health, and indigenous demographics / James F. brooks.