GEOG20001 Chapter Notes - Chapter 11: Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Dualism, Dirham
17 May 2018
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WEEK 11: Other Worldy Nature
Franklin, S., Lury, C., & Stacey, J. (2000): ‘Global Nature, Global Culture’
Themes: Nature – Postnatural – Nature/Culture - Panhumanity
Overview: The authors argue nature, rather than becoming an unimportant phrase, has transformed in its contemporary meaning. They point to 3 process of
the theorisation of the natural; naturalisation, denaturalisation + renaturalisation. The outline the changing meanings of nature over time, and its importance
as a term. The outline the concept of second nature as an idiom which holds together perspectives on nature, the natural + their histories. The note the shift
from the use of culture to assist nature, to the replacement of one by the other. The take the approach of nature and culture in the age of globalisation as a
means of analysing changing orders of scale, dimension, limit + horizon through which contexts of comparison are produced. They define panhumanity as an
emergent universalism, defined by universal human connection, in light of collective environmental destruction. The focus on the Blue Planet, cells and the
foetus are images which sparked this panhumanity.
Main Points:
• Nature has been remade, as it can acquire new traits, and has a multi-purpose foundational function
• Nature and culture mimic each other’s qualities such that they can hardly be differentiated, yet this is what makes them desirable
• Our understandings of culture are focused on processes of redefinition and change, as are our understandings of nature
• Nature has established a model for context in terms of temporality + scale – dynamic
• Many critique the use of the term today, due to amount of environmental destruction we have caused, that no longer anything can be termed natural
Justice, DH. (2010): ‘James Cameron’s Avatar: Missed Opportunities’
Themes: Human/Nonhuman – Nature/Culture – Nature – Colonialism – More-than-Human Geographies
Overview: The author outlines the failures and accomplishments of Avatar in terms of its storyline and characters. He concludes that the film was ‘self-
congratulatory’, in the sense that it separated the audience from the ‘evil’ actions to the point where it wasn’t relatable, making it a feel-good movie. He states
that Cameron missed the opportunity to make a real statement about injustice, or relationships between humans and the natural world.
Main Points:
• Themes of Avatar: Indigenous sovereignty, spirituality, colonisation, decolonisation, other-than-human kinship, traditional ecological knowledge,
environmental destruction
• More bad is done by those who think what they’re doing is a good thing, or are compelled by a higher duty, rater than those who know theyre doing
bad
• Avatar separates the audience from the bad guys, even though, we are and continue to be the bad guys
Mendelsohn, D. (2010): ‘The Wizard’
Themes: Romanticism – Colonialism – Film Making - Technology
Overview: Medelsohn explores various critiques of Avatar before offering his perspective that _____. He explores Cameron’s fascination with replacing the
human body for a different form, in particular his appreciation for metal, power, and technology, which aid the characters to their achievements. He points to
the main feature of the film as noting the relationship between technology and man, as an ethical relationship, rather and a political one. He offers a series of
critiques of form, style and characterisation, yet concluding that Avatar is a movie for our time.
Main Points:
• Avatar is based on stereotypes that white people are rationalist + technocratic while colonial victims are spiritual + athletics, and that nonwhites need a
white messiah to lead to crusades
• Recurrent motif of humans inserting themselves into mechanical contraptions to enjoy superhuman powers – awed appreciation of superhuman
powers
• Message: anticolonial, anticapitalist + antitechnology
WEEK 12: Conclusions
Castree, N. (2004): ‘Nature is dead! Long live nature’
Themes: Dualisms – What is Natural – Nature – Postnatural
Overview: Castree outlines the change in discourse from the 1990’s to the time of writing (2004) from ideas of social construction of nature to fascination for
the postnatural. Where most geographers and discourses have begun to ignore the term nature, Castree sees ideas of nature to continue to play a powerful
role in modern societies, and the continuing need to talk about them. Using the example of race to prove the potency of the term ‘nature’ contemporarily,
Castree outlines how race is a social process and the result of a specific history – not biology. Castree outlines that new ideas of nature (performance,
embodiment and hybridity, among others) are yet to be explored by political geographers.
Main Points:
• Despite recent blurring of dualisms (nature/culture, human/nonhuman), the idea of nature still has import for understanding our world + our future
• Focus on the postnatural has led to fundamentally altered explanatory + normative vocabularies, and towards a relational worldview wherein the
nature-society dichotomy is redundant
• 1990s: critical geographers denaturalised what was considered natural – ideas of nature shown to be embedded in culture
• Ideas of nature continue to have some powerful worldly effects, and we are ignoring them at the peril of ourselves + nonhumans
• New ways to take seriously what we once called natural have arisen, and need to be investigated and talked about
Ogden, L., Heyen, U., Oslender, P., Kassam, K. & Robbins, P. (2013): ‘Global Assemblages, Resilience and Earth Stewardship in
the Anthropocene’
Themes: Assemblages – Anthropocene – Governance – Socioecological Systems
Overview: The authors start by outline assemblage theory, in terms of global assemblages as an approach to understanding life as a process that unfolds
through changing assemblages of humans, other species, technologies and institutions. They then go on to talk about global assemblages in the Anthropocene,
which they used to define contemporary forms of environmental governance. Furthermore, the authors explain resilience and earth stewardship requires
science + policy approaches that consider how socioecological drivers of global change create env injustice + economic inequality.
Main Points:
• Transnational social movements offer important lessons for achieving greater socioecological resilience
• The concept of Anthropocene global assemblages has been introduced by the authors to improve dialogue between ecologists and those understanding
the human dimensions of environmental change
Document Summary
Fra(cid:374)kli(cid:374), s. , lury, c. , & sta(cid:272)ey, j. (cid:894)(cid:1006)(cid:1004)(cid:1004)(cid:1004)(cid:895): (cid:858)glo(cid:271)al nature, glo(cid:271)al culture(cid:859) Themes: nature postnatural nature/culture - panhumanity. Overview: the authors argue nature, rather than becoming an unimportant phrase, has transformed in its contemporary meaning. They point to 3 process of the theorisation of the natural; naturalisation, denaturalisation + renaturalisation. The outline the changing meanings of nature over time, and its importance as a term. The outline the concept of second nature as an idiom which holds together perspectives on nature, the natural + their histories. The note the shift from the use of culture to assist nature, to the replacement of one by the other. The take the approach of nature and culture in the age of globalisation as a means of analysing changing orders of scale, dimension, limit + horizon through which contexts of comparison are produced. Th ey define panhumanity as an emergent universalism, defined by universal human connection, in light of collective environmental destruction.
