November updates from the Political Ecology Network

November updates from the Political Ecology Network

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Dear POLLEN members and friends (with apologies for X-posting),

Greetings and welcome to another monthly update from POLLEN. We would like to thank everyone for contributing their news, publications, opportunities, etc., and we hope you enjoy reading about it all in this newsletter!

This month, we are happy to welcome a number of new nodes again. We would like to make use of this opportunity to remind everyone of our drive to expand the network, particularly with interested institutions from the Global South or any other under-represented regions. Please have a think about inviting institutions you work with who might benefit from being part of POLLEN!

Additionally, if you feel that being part of POLLEN benefits you, we would like to ask you to please consider promoting POLLEN, for example by using the banner on research presentations.

Finally, as you may have seen, the POLLEN website now includes a page to facilitate the sharing of political ecology-related course syllabi, curricula, and other teaching resources, which can be found here. If you have a relevant syllabus that you would like to make available, kindly get in touch via the WordPress online interface, or at politicalecologynetwork@gmail.com. Please join us in improving access to PE-related courses and other teaching materials!

A pdf-version of the newsletter is available here

Blog Posts

From our friends at Entitle:

Publications

Bruns, A. and Gerend, J. (2018). In Search of a Decolonial Urban Transformation. GAIA – Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, Volume 27, Number 3, 2018, pp. 293-297(5). https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.27.3.9

Cano Castellanos, I.J., 2018. De montaña a “reserva forestal”: colonización, sentido de comunidad y conservación en la Selva Lacandona. Ciudad de México, Instituto de Investigaciones Sociales (IIS) de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM).

Castellanos-Navarrete, A. (2018). Is oil palm expansion a challenge to agroecology? Smallholders practising industrial farming in Mexico. Revista Pueblos y Fronteras Digital. http://www.pueblosyfronteras.unam.mx/index.php/index.php/pyf/article/view/357/576

Castellanos-Navarrete, A. (2018). Development without change: Oil palm labour regimes, development narratives, and disputed moral economies in Mesoamerica. Journal of Rural Studies. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2018.08.011

Demaria, F. (2018). How to edit a Special Issue. http://howtowriteanacademicpaper.com/special-issue.html

De Rosa, S. (2018). A political geography of ‘waste wars’ in Campania (Italy): Competing territorialisations and socio-environmental conflicts. Political Geography 67, pp. 46-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2018.09.009

Jessica Northey’s recent book publication, Civil Society in Algeria: Activism, Identity and the Democratic Process (London, I.B.Tauris, 2018) explores the new forms of activism emerging in Algeria and the effects of civil society engagement on political reform in the country. The violence between radical Islamists and the military during the Algerian civil war of the 1990s led to huge loss of life and mass exile. The public sphere became a dangerous place. Yet in defiance of this, civil society grew, with thousands of associations forming throughout the conflict. Associations were set up across a wide range of sectors, to protect human rights and vulnerable populations, to commemorate the assassinated, and also to protect Algeria’s fragile desert eco-systems and preserve traditional methods of resource governance. There are now over 100,000 associations across the country and new networks are still emerging. Since the Arab revolts of 2011, and in response to challenging social, economic and political conditions, organised demonstrations increasingly take place.

Civil Society in Algeria examines these recent developments and scrutinizes the role associations play in promoting political reform in Algeria. Based on extensive fieldwork undertaken both before and after the Arab Spring, the book shows how associations challenge government policy in the public sphere. Algeria is playing an increasingly important role in the stability and future peaceful relations of the Middle East and North Africa. This book reveals the new forms of activism that are challenging the ever-powerful state. It is a valuable resource for Algeria specialists and for scholars researching political reform, democratization and civic engagement across the Middle East and North Africa.

Selby, J. (2018). The Trump presidency, climate change, and the prospect of a disorderly energy transition. Review of International Studies X: 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0260210518000165

An edited volume from the work of The Leverhulme Centre for the Study of Value, University of Manchester, was published on 31 October 2018:
Bracking, S, Fredriksen, A., Sullivan, S. and Woodhouse, P. (eds.) (2018): Valuing Development, Environment and Conservation: Creating Values that Matter. London: Routledge. (published 31 Oct. 2018). https://www.crcpress.com/Valuing-Development-Environment-and-Conservation-Creating-Values-that/Bracking-Fredriksen-Sian-Woodhouse/p/book/9781138080515

Abstract:

“Policy-makers are increasingly trying to assign economic values to areas such as ecologies, the atmosphere, even human lives. These new values, assigned to areas previously considered outside of economic systems, often act to qualify, alter or replace former non-pecuniary values. Valuing Development, Environment and Conservation looks to explore the complex interdependencies, contradictions and trade-offs that can take place between economic values and the social, environmental, political and ethical systems that inform non-monetary valuation processes. Using rich empirical material, the book explores the processes of valuation, their components, calculative technologies, and outcomes in different social, ecological and conservation domains. The book gives reasons for why economic calculation tends to dominate in practice, but also presents new insights on how the disobedient materiality of things and the ingenuity of human and non-human agencies can combine and frustrate the dominant economic models within calculative processes. This book highlights the tension between, on the one hand, a dominant model that emphasises technical and ‘universalizing’ criteria, and on the other hand, valuation practice in specific local contexts which is more likely to negotiate criteria that are plural, incommensurable and political. This book is perfect for researchers and students within development studies, environment, geography, politics, sociology and anthropology who are looking for new insights into how processes of valuation take place in the 21st century, and with what consequential outcomes.”

Sian Sullivan, ‘Political ecology, pasts and presents: from science, myth and power to post-truth?’, Political Ecology Seminar Series at the School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, 23 October.

The Future Pasts research project concerning conservation and cultural landscapes in west Namibia was recently invited to contribute a case study for the AHRC’s Heritage Priority Area website, see Future Pasts in an Apocalyptic Moment.

Conferences and Opportunities

Vacancy at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA)

Researcher position on water and environmental governance.

https://www.webcruiter.no/wcmain/advertviewpublic.aspx?oppdragsnr=3964601385&company_id=201703&Link_source_id=&use_position_site_header=0&culture_id=NB-NO. Deadline: December 2. 2018

Two post doctoral research fellow opportunities at the University of Michigan, School for Environmental and Sustainability:

  1. Forest and Livelihoods (FL): Concerns the impacts of land transactions and forest interventions on forests and livelihoods
  2. Sustainability and Development (SD): Concerns a new SD initiative at UM, and focuses on the development of an SDG Resource Book

Full descriptions and application submission links can be found below. Applications are due November 30, 2018.

  1. Forest and Livelihoods (FL):

The University of Michigan announces one post-doctoral research and coordination opportunity, beginning January 2019. The opportunity is in the field of Sustainability and Development. The selected candidate will work closely with the faculty team involved in this work at UM, and initially will assist in helping three of the goals of the Sustainability and Development Initiative at UM: Creation of a Sustainable Development Goals Resource book; organization of the annual sustainability and development conference, and development of an online curriculum on the topic. The successful candidate will have expertise and interests in one or more of the following areas: the Sustainable Development Goals, SD policy and interventions, impact assessment, both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analytical skills, cross-sectoral/institutional collaborative experience, synthesis science, and experience organizing workshops/meetings. A PhD in Geography, Environmental Science or Studies, Economics, another Social Science, or a field related to sustainability and development is required at the time of appointment. Experience working internationally is strongly desired. The University of Michigan, a leader in undergraduate and graduate education and one of the world’s premiere research universities, offers rigorous academic programs, outstanding faculty, and diverse cultural and social opportunities in a stimulating intellectual environment. The School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) is a diverse collection of natural scientists, social scientists, engineers, and designers working collectively in an integrative setting. SEAS’ mission is to contribute to the protection of the Earth’s resources and the achievement of a sustainable society. The school contributes new scientific knowledge, visionary leadership, and trained professionals toward that end. A professional school set within a major research university, SEAS provides a model of interdisciplinary and applied research and a focal point of research and teaching on sustainability. The incumbent in this position would work with faculty and staff in the International Forestry Resources and Institutions (IFRI) group at SEAS, but regularly engage with faculty from many different schools and departments at the university. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience and qualifications. Benefits include employee health and dental insurance. Applicants should submit 1) a copy of their CV, 2) a 1-2 page cover letter that a) explains their interest in the position, and b) outlines their relevant skills and experience, 3) a recent publication or dissertation chapter, and 4) names and contact details (email addresses and telephone numbers) for three references, to THIS FORM.

Applications are due November 30, 2018

Please contact Cristy Watkins (watkinsc@umich.edu) with questions.

  1. Sustainability and Development (SD):

The University of Michigan announces one post-doctoral research opportunity, beginning January 2019 for work on an interdisciplinary team focusing on land-cover, social, and livelihood impacts of (1) large-scale land transactions and (2) forest sector investments in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America through statistical analysis of remote sensing and social survey data. Our goal is to undertake systematic, quantitative analyses of the impacts of large-scale changes in land tenure and of forest sector investments on land-cover change and livelihoods, to investigate both the patterns of interactions among these outcomes and the causal effects of land tenure change and forest sector investments through a statistical matching-based approach. The position is part of multi-year projects funded by NSF and DFID that focus on Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, and Brazil. This is a full-time position available with an initial appointment of one-year, renewable up to one additional year on the basis of satisfactory performance. The successful candidate will have expertise and interests in one or more of the following areas: land-cover change analysis at multiple scales, robust statistical inference, statistical analysis of quantitative survey data, use of matching methods, and integration of remote sensing, census, and social survey datasets. A PhD in Geography, Environmental Science or Studies, Economics, another Social Science, Forestry or a related field is required at the time of appointment. Experience working internationally is strongly desired. The University of Michigan, a leader in undergraduate and graduate education and one of the world’s premiere research universities, offers rigorous academic programs, outstanding faculty, and diverse cultural and social opportunities in a stimulating intellectual environment. The School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) is a diverse collection of natural scientists, social scientists, engineers, and designers working collectively in an integrative setting. SEAS’ mission is to contribute to the protection of the Earth’s resources and the achievement of a sustainable society. The school contributes new scientific knowledge, visionary leadership, and trained professionals toward that end. A professional school set within a major research university, SEAS provides a model of interdisciplinary and applied research and a focal point of research and teaching on sustainability. The incumbent in this position would work with faculty and staff in the International Forestry Resources and Institutions (IFRI) group. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience and qualifications. Benefits include employee health and dental insurance. Applicants should submit 1) a copy of their CV, 2) a 1-2 page cover letter that a) explains their interest in the position, and b) outlines their relevant skills and experience, 3) a recent publication or dissertation chapter, and 4) names and contact details (email addresses and telephone numbers) for three references, to THIS FORM.

Applications are due November 30, 2018

Please contact Cristy Watkins (watkinsc@umich.edu) with questions.

Bikash Adhikari shares with us the think tank in deep ecology that he has founded, based in Pokhara Nepal, for international collaboration on research in current federalism scenario in Nepal. https://wildness-nepal.org/deep-ecology-of-living-with-leopards/

CFP – ANNUAL COLLOQUIUM OF THE IGU-COMMISSION ON THE SUSTAINABILITY OF RURAL SYSTEMS

The Organizing Committee of the IGU-Commission on the Sustainability of Rural Systems is pleased to circulate the first Call for Papers for the 2019 Annual Colloquium of the IGU-CSRS. The 2019 Colloquium is jointly hosted by Macalester College and the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire Geography Departments. Important dates and deadlines are listed below and specific information about abstracts and conference details can be found at https://www.macalester.edu/geography/igu-csrs2019/

Colloquium Dates: 21-26 July 2019

Important Deadlines:

> 15 October 2018: First call for paper and poster abstracts

> 1 December 2018: Second call for paper and poster abstracts

> 15 January 2019: Abstracts submission deadline

> 5 March 2019: Notification of abstract acceptance

> 5 March 2019: Conference registration opens

> 15 April 2019: Regular registration closes

> 15 April 2019: Late registration opens

> 1 May 2019: Late registration closes. On-campus housing registration closes.

Website: https://www.macalester.edu/geography/igu-csrs2019/

Call for Papers

Environment and Society: Advances in Research (Volume 11, 2020)

The ocean is vital to the existence of life on Earth. It is the epicenter of evolution as well as the ultimate bell weather for the continued vitality of living systems. It is vast, deep, and mysterious, and simultaneously familiar, intimate, and personal. The ocean can be simultaneously thought of as a singular space or divided into multiple oceans and seas and it frequently studied as one component of the planet’s complex biological, geological, and chemical processes. It is also the site of scientific exploration, geopolitical territorialization, Romantic imagination, capitalist extraction, and shifting everyday relations of love and livelihood. The ocean is both an epic backdrop and an active agent in human activities, at times teeming with living beings and at times emptied of all agency. It is at once dangerous and endangered.

This volume of Environment and Society hopes to explore the contemporary enigmatic condition of the world’s ocean(s) through examples of social research that examines lives lived with and within the sea. We are keeping this call intentionally broad in order to capture a wide range of perspectives and approaches, both theoretical and methodological. Our aim is show that the ocean is deeply social in ways that many of us have only just begun to understand.

Environment and Society is a review journal that appears once per year. Its papers are meant to review substantial bodies of literature that inform the author’s perspective, and we expect contributions to this issue to contain substantial literature reviews. We also find that the best papers tend to include original research material in their work. We therefore look for papers which blend original work and literature review with an explicit focus on the concepts and ideas that inform the paper topic.

Possible topics for this issue could include, but are not limited to:

  • The posthuman ocean
  • Maritime anthropology
  • Ocean geopolitics
  • Sea level rise
  • Ocean science, scientists, and technology • Ocean biopolitics
  • Ocean extractivism
  • Engendering the ocean
  • Regimes of ocean governance
  • Ocean degradation
  • Justice at sea
  • Ocean environmental history
  • The ocean and the politics of difference
  • New materialism and the ocean
  • Fishing and farming the sea
  • Marine tourism
  • Global environmental change and the ocean

Abstracts of 250 words due November 7, 2018

Notifications for authors December 12, 2018

Completed articles due July 31, 2019

Articles published Fall 2020

Please send ALL inquiries and abstracts to ares.journal@gmail.com

Paige West

Claire Tow Professor of Anthropology

Barnard College, Columbia University

http://paige-west.com

Editor, Environment and Society

http://www.envirosociety.org

Connor Joseph Cavanagh, Chris Sandbrook, and David Tumusiime will host a book launch for their co-edited volume Conservation and Development in Uganda (Routledge/Earthscan, 2018) at the Uganda National Museum in Kampala, 26 November 2018, with support from the Cambridge Africa Programme for Research Excellence. The editorial process resulting in this book has been a North-South collaboration between three POLLEN nodes: Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, School of Forestry, Environment, and Geographical Sciences, Makerere University, Uganda, and Noragric, Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

The event is open to the public, and will involve debates and panel discussions with scholars and environmental practitioners on recent controversies in forest and wildlife conservation throughout eastern Africa. We will also distribute 50 free copies of the volume at the event. The launch is co-sponsored by the International Institute for Environment and Development’s (IIED) Poverty and Conservation Learning Group (PCLG) and Nature Uganda

New Nodes – Welcome to POLLEN!

Best wishes,

Marleen Schutter, Ben Neimark, John Childs, Simon Batterbury, Patrick Bigger, James Fraser, Giovanni Bettini, Katharine Howell

POLLEN secretariat, Lancaster University

politicalecologynetwork@gmail.com

https://politicalecologynetwork.com

@PolEcoNet

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