Suchergebnisse

25 pages ; The exceptional biological diversity of the mid-Klamath River region of northern California has emerged in conjunction with sophisticated Karuk land management practices, including the regulation of the forest and fisheries through ceremony and the use of fire. Over three quarters of Karuk traditional food and cultural use species are enhanced by fire. Fire is also central to cultural and spiritual practices. Land management techniques since the 1900s have emphasized fire suppression and the "exclusion" of wildfire from the landscape. This paper uses data from interviews, surveys and other documents to describe the social impacts of fire exclusion for Karuk tribal members. The exclusion of fire from the ecosystem has a host of interrelated ecological and social impacts including impacts to cultural practice, political sovereignty, social relations, subsistence activities, and the mental and physical health of individual tribal members. In addition, Karuk tribal members are negatively impacted by the effects of catastrophic fires and intensive firefighting activities that in turn result from fire exclusion. Whereas existing literature has addressed ecological and social impacts of changing ecosystems as separate categories, the social, ecological and economic impacts of fire exclusion are here understood to be intrinsically linked.

24 pages ; Global warming is the most serious environmental problem of our time and a major issue of environmental justice. Yet meager public response in the form of social movement activity, behavioral changes, or public pressure on governments is noteworthy in all Western nations. Existing research emphasizes lack of information as a limiting factor for failed public response. This explanation cannot account for the significant population who know about and express concern for global warming. Ethnographic and interview data from a rural Norwegian community indicate that nonresponse is at least partially a matter of socially organized denial. Because Norwegian economic prosperity is tied to oil production, collectively ignoring climate change maintains Norwegian economic interests. Most environmental justice research focuses on people facing disproportionate exposure to environmental problems. This project examines wealthy citizens who perpetuate global warming as they turn a blind eye. Environmental justice implications of socially organized denial are discussed for global warming and beyond.

"Once the third largest salmon-producing stream in the Western United States, the Klamath River has, as of 2014, fallen to only 4% of its previous productivity. This gives the once wealthy Karuk Tribe the dubious honor of having one of the most dramatic and recent diet shifts in North America. Unable to fulfill their traditional fishermen roles, Karuk people are now among the most impoverished in the state. In Salmon and Acorns Feed Our People, noted environmental sociologist Kari Norgaard investigates how their inability to fish affected the sense of identity and self-esteem of Karuk men. How does environmental degradation inscribe racialized power relations or do the work of colonial violence? Salmon and Acorns Feed Our People tells a story set in the cultural and political experiences of the Karuk Tribe, while expanding theoretical conversations on health, identity, food, race, and gender that preoccupy many disciplines today."--

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- INTRODUCTION -- 1. MUTUAL CONSTRUCTIONS OF RACE AND NATURE ON THE KLAMATH -- 2. ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS OF SETTLER-COLONIALISM -- 3. RESEARCH AS RESISTANCE -- 4. ENVIRONMENTAL DECLINE AND CHANGING GENDER PRACTICES -- 5. EMOTIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL DECLINE -- CONCLUSION. Climate Change as a Strategic Opportunity? -- METHODOLOGICAL APPENDIX -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- NOTES -- WORKS CITED -- INDEX -- ABOUT THE AUTHOR