Course Description
Contemporary conservation is characterized by an ongoing debate about the merits of top-down vs. bottom-up approaches in the effort to achieve balance between effectiveness, equity, and justice. This course examines a series of issues related to the anthropological study of conservation through attention to specific case studies.
Athena Title
CONS COMM
Prerequisite
Permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
(1) Acquaint students with contemporary theoretical approaches in anthropology as these pertain to the anthropological study of conservation. (2) Introduce students to contemporary ethnographic research methods, especially multi-sited ethnography and institutional ethnography. (3) Provide an overview of major debates and trends in conservation in recent decades, especially as these pertain to the role of local communities in conservation (top-down vs. bottom-up approaches). (4) Consider paradigms and practices that shape contemporary conservation initiatives, including community-based conservation, adaptive management, ecoregional planning, and transboundary protected areas. (5) Examine “technologies of visualization” (GIS, rapid ecological assessment, GAP analysis, ecoregional maps) used in contemporary conservation to make natural and cultural communities legible. (6) Examine how images of local communities woven into conservation narratives and consider other alternatives for doing so. (7) Address questions of agency. That is, how do we take account of the role played by different sets of agents -- local communities, indigenous social movements, the state, transnational NGOs, donors, banks and corporations -- in the shaping and implementation of conservation initiatives, and how have conservation initiatives been shaped or manipulated to fit larger political/institutional interests? (8) Explore major approaches to social science research in conservation and examine how these are used in Protected Area planning and implementation. (9) Consider recent analytical perspectives (historical ecology, political ecology) that anthropologists and other social scientists can provide that contribute to the shaping of conservation policies and practices that are both more effective and more just. (10) Provide conceptual tools that will allow students to more effectively navigate the divide between anthropologists and conservation practitioners and that may lead to more productive collaborations.
Topical Outline
Conservation and the Cultural Politics of Nature Introduction Representing Natural Nature Nature Defiled or at Risk Configurations of Power, Regimes of Governmentality Conservation and the Politics of Scale Participatory and Community-Based Approaches to Conservation Integrated Conservation and Development Projects (ICDPs) Resurgent Protectionism Ecoregional Approaches to Conservation Forms of Agency and Articulation The State: Political Cultures and Legal Codes Donors, Banks, Corporations and Transnational NGOs Local Social Movements, Indigenous Mobilizations and Transnational NGOs Communities and the Production of Locality Technologies of Power in the Practice of Conservation Making Protected Areas Community Mapping, Land History, and Local Knowledge Case Study: Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area, PNG