Natural Potency and Political Power : Forests and State Authority in Contemporary Laos / Sarinda Singh; David P. Chandler, Rita Smith Kipp.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Singh, Sarinda, author.

Contributor:

Chandler, David P., editor.

Kipp, Rita Smith, editor.

Series:

Southeast Asia--politics, meaning, memory.

Southeast Asia: Politics, Meaning, and Memory ; 53

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Forest policy--Laos.

Forest policy.

Forests and forestry--Social aspects--Laos..

Forests and forestry.

Forests and forestry--Political aspects--Laos.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (210 p.)

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press, [2012]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Forests, as physical entities, have received considerable scholarly attention in political studies of Asia and beyond. Much less notice has been paid to the significance of forests as symbols that enable commentary on identity, aspirations, and authority. Natural Potency and Political Power, an innovative exploration of the social and political importance of forests in contemporary Laos, challenges common views of the rural countryside as isolated and disconnected from national social debates and politics under an authoritarian regime. It offers instead a novel understanding of local perspectives under authoritarianism, demonstrating that Lao people make implicit political statements in their commentary on forests and wildlife; and showing that, in addition to being vital material resources, forests (and their natural potency) are linked in the minds of many Lao to the social and political power of the state.Sarinda Singh explores the intertwining of symbolic and material concerns in local debates over conservation and development, the popularity of wildlife consumption, the particular importance of elephants, and forest loss and mismanagement. In doing so, she draws on ethnographic fieldwork around Vientiane, the capital, and Nakai, site of the contentious Nam Theun 2 hydropower project-places that are broadly reflective of the divide between urban prosperity and rural poverty. Nam Theun 2, supported by the World Bank, highlights the local, regional, and global dynamics that influence discussions of forest resources in Laos. Government officials, rural villagers, and foreign consultants all contribute to competing ideas about forests and wildlife.Singh advances research on forest politics by rethinking how ideas about nature influence social life. Her work refutes the tendency to see modern social life as independent of historical influences, and her attention to viewpoints both inside and outside the state prompts an understanding of authoritarian regimes as not only sources of repression, but also sites of negotiation, engagement, and debate about the legitimacy of social inequalities.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. Peripheral engagements

Chapter 2. Comprehending conservation

Chapter 3. A ppetites and aspirations

Chapter 4. Ecopolitical elephants

Chapter 5. Debating the forest

Chapter 6. Concealing forest decline

Chapter 7. Conclusions

Notes

References

Index

About the Author

Other Volumes in the Series

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [171]-184) and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 28. Aug 2019)

ISBN:

9780824871765

0824871766

9780824861223

0824861221

OCLC:

861528136