The Anthropology of Sustainability: Beyond Development and Progress (Palgrave Studies in Anthropology of Sustainability)

This book compiles research from leading experts in the social, behavioral, and cultural dimensions of sustainability, as well as local and global understandings of the concept, and on lived practices around the world. It contains studies focusing on ways of living, acting, and thinking which claim to favor the local and global ecological systems of which we are a part, and on which we depend for survival. The concept of sustainability as a product of concern about global environmental degradation, rising social inequalities, and dispossession is presented as a key concept. The contributors explore the opportunities to engage with questions of sustainability and to redefine the concept of sustainability in anthropological terms. Preface 6 Contents 8 Note on Contributors 11 List of Figures 17 Chapter 1: Introduction: The Anthropology of Sustainability: Beyond Development and Progress 19 The Origins of Sustainability 21 Sustainability Today 23 Sustainability Tomorrow 28 The Anthropocene 30 What Sort of World Favours `Sustainability ́? 35 What Sustainability Does for Anthropology 38 Making Anthropology Contemporary Again 41 What Is an Anthropology of Sustainability? 43 Conclusion 44 Notes 48 References 48 Chapter 2: Anthropology at the Time of the Anthropocene: A Personal View of What Is to Be Studied 53 References 66 Chapter 3: A Threat to Holocene Resurgence Is a Threat to Livability 68 What Is Resurgence? 69 Holocene and Anthropocene: Indicators for the Human Condition 70 Matsutake Enables Holocene Resurgence 72 Ash Dieback and Anthropocene Ecologies of Extinction 74 A Time for Anthropology 78 Notes 79 References 81 Chapter 4: What Can Sustainability Do for Anthropology? 83 Why Thinking About Sustainability Is Good for Anthropology 84 What Is It That We Should Sustain? 85 The Challenges of Space and Time 88 Misconceived Alterities 91 Conclusion 94 References 94 Chapter 5: Interlude: Perceiving Human Nature Through Imagined Non-human Situations 97 Chapter 6: ``They Call It Shangri-La ́ ́: Sustainable Conservation, or African Enclosures? 107 Sustainability: The Global View 107 East African Rangelands: From Global to Local Understandings of Sustainability 109 Tanzania ́s Wildlife Management Areas 110 Enduimet Wildlife Management Area 112 Participation 113 Local Voices: Participation 115 Benefits 116 Makame WMA 119 Ecological Outcomes of WMA 119 Local Visions of Sustainability 120 Discussion 121 Notes 122 References 123 Chapter 7: Conservation from Above: Globalising Care for Nature 126 Introduction 126 Conservation from Above or Below? 127 The New Conservation from Above 130 A New Conservation from Below? 133 References 136 Chapter 8: Different Knowledge Regimes and Some Consequences for `Sustainability ́ 141 REDD 144 From Trees to People 146 Defence Mechanism and Repression of Knowledge 147 Norway, REDD+, and Unintended Consequences 149 REDD and Situational Repression of Knowledge 150 What Can Be Learnt from Indigenous Knowledge? 151 Chewong and Lio Land Rights 152 In Conclusion 154 Notes 155 References 156 Chapter 9: The Viability of a High Arctic Hunting Community: A Historical Perspective 158 Discovery: Meeting a New People 159 Dispersal: Cutting the Nomadic Landscape 164 Dislocation: Assessing Climate Change 169 Dispositions: Sustainability in Unbounded Environments 172 References 174 Chapter 10: Ebola in Meliandou: Tropes of `Sustainability ́ at Ground Zero 177 Events in Meliandou 183 `Ebola ́ 186 Anxiety in the Land 189 Black Swans and the Anthropology of `Sustainability ́ 190 Notes 191 References 191 Chapter 11: Anthropology and the Nature-Society-Development Nexus 194 Introduction 194 A Project to Combat Social Exclusion Ecologically 196 Agroecology Projects as Worlds 204 Cultivating the Land 205 Sheltering with Nature 207 Inviting Wilderness Back 209 Conclusion 213 Notes 214 References 217 Chapter 12: The Gaia Complex: Ethical Challenges to an Anthropocentric `Common Future ́ 218 Introduction 218 A Disappearing Other World 220 A Non-anthropocentric Anthropology? 225 Putting Theory into Practice 227 Re-imagined Communities 232 Conclusion 234 Notes 235 References 236 Chapter 13: Interlude: Performing Gaia 240 Notes 246 Reference 247 Chapter 14: Sustaining the Pluriverse: The Political Ontology of Territorial Struggles in Latin America 248 Introduction: From War to Autonomy, and From Unsustainability to Sustainment 249 From Political Ecology to Political Ontology 251 The Political Ontology of Territorial Struggles in Latin America 255 Thinking-Feeling with the Earth 258 Conclusion 261 Notes 263 References 265 Chapter 15: Traditional People, Collectors of Diversity 268 An Example: Agrobiodiversity 270 Who Produces Domesticated Diversity? 272 A Passion for Diversity 275 Putting in a Good Word for Swidden or Shifting Agriculture 277 Conclusion: Producing and Collecting Diversity 279 Notes 279 References 280 Chapter 16: Local Struggles with Entropy: Caipora and Other Demons 284 The Thermodynamic Critique of Development 284 Development as Loss of Diversity 287 Sustainability of Diversity, Not Just of Energy Consumption 289 Demons Against the Second Law 289 Caipora 290 Gaia Strategy and Ant-People Alliances 293 Another Singularity 294 Notes 295 References 296 Chapter 17: Redesigning Money to Curb Globalization: Can We Domesticate the Root of All Evil? 301 Introduction 301 The Relation Between Money, Semiotics, and Morality 302 The Rationale, History, and Prospects of Experiments with Alternative Currencies 308 Notes 314 References 315 Index 318 "Preface"--"Contents"--"Note on Contributors" -- "List of Figures" -- "Chapter 1: Introduction: The Anthropology of Sustainability: Beyond Development and Progress" -- "The Origins of Sustainability" -- "Sustainability Today" -- "Sustainability Tomorrow" -- "The Anthropocene" -- "What Sort of World Favours `SustainabilityÂþ?" -- "What Sustainability Does for Anthropology" -- "Making Anthropology Contemporary Again" -- "What Is an Anthropology of Sustainability?" -- "Conclusion" -- "Notes" -- "References" -- "Chapter 2: Anthropology at the Time of the Anthropocene: A Personal View of What Is to Be Studied" -- "References" -- "Chapter 3: A Threat to Holocene Resurgence Is a Threat to Livability" -- "What Is Resurgence?" -- "Holocene and Anthropocene: Indicators for the Human Condition" -- "Matsutake Enables Holocene Resurgence" -- "Ash Dieback and Anthropocene Ecologies of Extinction" -- "A Time for Anthropology" -- "Notes" -- "References" -- "Chapter 4: What Can Sustainability Do for Anthropology?" -- "Why Thinking About Sustainability Is Good for Anthropology" -- "What Is It That We Should Sustain?" -- "The Challenges of Space and Time" -- "Misconceived Alterities" -- "Conclusion" -- "References" -- "Chapter 5: Interlude: Perceiving Human Nature Through Imagined Non-human Situations" -- "Chapter 6: ``They Call It Shangri-LaÂþÂþ: Sustainable Conservation, or African Enclosures?" -- "Sustainability: The Global View" -- "East African Rangelands: From Global to Local Understandings of Sustainability" -- "TanzaniaÂþs Wildlife Management Areas" -- "Enduimet Wildlife Management Area" -- "Participation" -- "Local Voices: Participation" -- "Benefits" -- "Makame WMA" -- "Ecological Outcomes of WMA" -- "Local Visions of Sustainability" -- "Discussion" -- "Notes" -- "References" -- "Chapter 7: Conservation from Above: Globalising Care for Nature" Front Matter ....Pages i-xviii Introduction: The Anthropology of Sustainability: Beyond Development and Progress (Marc Brightman, Jerome Lewis)....Pages 1-34 Anthropology at the Time of the Anthropocene: A Personal View of What Is to Be Studied (Bruno Latour)....Pages 35-49 A Threat to Holocene Resurgence Is a Threat to Livability (Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing)....Pages 51-65 What Can Sustainability Do for Anthropology? (Henrietta L. Moore)....Pages 67-80 Interlude: Perceiving Human Nature Through Imagined Non-human Situations (Marcus Coates)....Pages 81-90 “They Call It Shangri-La”: Sustainable Conservation, or African Enclosures? (Katherine M. Homewood)....Pages 91-109 Conservation from Above: Globalising Care for Nature (William M. Adams)....Pages 111-125 Different Knowledge Regimes and Some Consequences for ‘Sustainability’ (Signe Howell)....Pages 127-143 The Viability of a High Arctic Hunting Community: A Historical Perspective (Kirsten Hastrup)....Pages 145-163 Ebola in Meliandou: Tropes of ‘Sustainability’ at Ground Zero (James Fairhead, Dominique Millimouno)....Pages 165-181 Anthropology and the Nature-Society-Development Nexus (Laura Rival)....Pages 183-206 The Gaia Complex: Ethical Challenges to an Anthropocentric ‘Common Future’ (Veronica Strang)....Pages 207-228 Interlude: Performing Gaia (Frédérique Aït-Touati, Bruno Latour)....Pages 229-236 Sustaining the Pluriverse: The Political Ontology of Territorial Struggles in Latin America (Arturo Escobar)....Pages 237-256 Traditional People, Collectors of Diversity (Manuela Carneiro da Cunha)....Pages 257-272 Local Struggles with Entropy: Caipora and Other Demons (Mauro W. Barbosa de Almeida)....Pages 273-289 Redesigning Money to Curb Globalization: Can We Domesticate the Root of All Evil? (Alf Hornborg)....Pages 291-307 Back Matter ....Pages 309-316