PoliticalEcologyandMethodologyforProtectedAreas.ppt

Political Ecology and Methodology for Protected Areas Research in Eastern and Southern Africa Peter J. Rogers Bates College Environmental Studies Program 111 Bardwell St. Lewiston, ME 04240 tel: (207) 786-8206 fax: (207) 786-8334 email: progers@bates.edu Dedication Dedicated to Ernest Grueing (1887-1974) - Governor of Alaska, U. S. Senator, unrecognized originator of the concept of “political ecology” (see Gruening 1951), and one of two Senators to vote against the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1964. Goal of Paper Outline a methodology for research which synthesizes poststructural theorizing about political ecology and governmentality with positivist ideas about systematic, transparent social science research methods Organization of Paper Background Political Ecology and Governmentality Wildlife Conservation and Protected Area Management in Sub-Saharan Africa Research Questions Organization of Paper Methodology Comparative Case Study Approach Protected Area Complexes and Units of Analyses Operationalizing Political Ecology and Governmentality The Role of Computer Databases and Qualitative Analysis Organization of Paper Conclusion: Is “Antiessential Political Ecology” an Oxymoron? Background Political Ecology Nature as politically contested and shaped Non-human nature shapes processes of economics and political contestation How we “know” the environment is critical Political contestation involves actors Background Governmentality Recognition of importance of historical processes, the role of “genealogy” Historical process should focus on the identification of important, distinct “problematization” events Most importantly, “priority give[n] to ‘how’ questions” Background Wildlife Conservation and Protected Area Management in Sub-Saharan Africa CITES controversies over ivory trade Spatial extent of protected area Economic importance of wildlife tourism Background Research Questions How are wildlife conservation and protected areas governed in su