November 19-21: Two Approaches to Nature and Policy
| ANTH 565: ETHNOGRAPHY AS SCIENCE AND LITERATURE November 19-21: Two Approaches to Nature and Policy |
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The readings for this week are Celia Lowe's Wild Profusion and Janet Sturgeon's Border Landscapes, both of which came out at about the same time and deal with the politics of science and conservation from an ethnographic perspective. They both continue the trend begun by my Ways of Being Ethnic, toward ethnographies that are comparative and not based in single communities. Both these books are about how policy influences environment and environmental science. But the approaches are very different, with Sturgeon primarily concerned with visible outcomes for landscape and livelihood, and Lowe mostly concerned with exposing how science works in a particular politicized context. Since the two together are shorter than many of the other books we've read this quarter, I'm suggesting that we discuss Lowe on Monday and Sturgeon on Wednesday. Nov 19: Wild Profusion and Science Studies This book is about environment, but from the standpoint of the construction of the environment, rather than of the science of the environment. In other words, the approach is interpretive and constructionist. Post on what you think about this approach. Celia Lowe has graciously agreed to comment on anyone's post that would like comments from the author. The earlier you get them posted, the more likely she is to reply in time. For those of you who do not have access to the book, I have posted a famous chapter on "Making the Monkey." Nov 21: Border Landscapes and Cross-National Comparisons Janet Sturgeon's book is our first one that involves a cross-national comparison. Please post on cross-national comparison as an approach, and how this book is the same as or different from Ways of Being Ethnic. Again, I have posted some introductory chapters that deal with her approach |