Introduction

To date there has been no systematic historical investigation of how and in what forums ideas about soil-related threats and models for combating erosion circulated, who were the protagonists involved and how these constellations changed over time. The present Special Issue addresses this gap by examining from different national and chronological perspectives the thesis of the epochal and global significance of the Dust Bowl in the twentieth century. The five articles integrate the conventional Dust Bowl story into a broader reticulation of multidirectional processes of transfer, long-lasting national traditions and regional approaches to soil conservation. Further research requires a better understanding arching across many scales - transnational, national, regional and local - and a closer look at the assemblages of substances, people, expertise, and regulation. The history of anti-wind erosion measures reveals recurring elements in time and space, but also processes of change. The Special Issue seeks to contribute to the generation of new soil stories and demonstrates the abiding intellectual vigour of global environmental history.