Dominion and improvement: The moral ecologies of colonial encounters.

This article examines the role of moral ecologies—socially embedded systems of right and wrong guiding ecological relationships—in shaping early colonial encounters and settlement practices by the British in New England and the Spanish in New Mexico. It highlights how differing moral ecologies, rooted in distinct ontologies and cultural values, influenced colonists' interactions with land, plants, animals, and Indigenous peoples, contributing to tensions and conflicts such as King Philip's War and the Pueblo Revolt. Spanish colonization emphasized incorporation of Indigenous labor and access to common lands (ejidos), while English colonization prioritized private property, land enclosure, and narratives of Indigenous disappearance. The article argues that these moral ecologies materially shaped colonial landscapes and continue to affect contemporary issues around land ownership, Indigenous rights, and cultural heritage.