Hi all, this week I managed to get started on my final product. Might seem a little early, but right now it's just the framework/outline for my short story. I also finished the narratives book I mentioned last week (or at least, the sections of it that are relevant to my project). The main thesis of the book, The Power of Narrative in Environmental Networks, by Lejano, Ingram and Ingram, is that focusing on the narratives surrounding environmental networks (often in the form of local knowledges of how certain ecological systems function/came to be) is a useful tool for bridging cultural gaps and conducting more equitable and effective science. The book argues that combining literary analysis with conventional enviro-sciences is helpful in the sense that narratives are inherently interpretative--that is to say, no single reading of a story is necessarily the correct one. Thus, this aspect of interpretation lends itself to a pluralism of options when dealing with ecological proceedings, and hopefully inspiring newfound respect for local knowledge systems, which are more than often attacked by conventional Western science as "backward" or supposedly negative for the environment (despite, in most cases, local coexistence for hundreds if not thousands of years). Either way, it's an interesting read, and yet another example of subtle issues in scientific discourse and its way of dealing with non-conventional epistemologies. The book contains a few key case studies, including one involving researchers' attempts to conduct science on the Arizona-Sonora border. This one was highly elucidating for me in terms of learning about some of the political barriers to ecology in our region, and although not necessarily relevant to my project, it was still really informative and of course an example of the power of constructing a narrative in order to deal with these kinds of struggles.
Also, I think I forgot to mention in my last post, but I went to a lecture at the U of A last week on glacial cycles (of expansion and retreat), by premier geochemist Wally Broecker (of Columbia University!) hoping to gain a more scientific perspective on my topic. Unfortunately, almost all of the information went over my head...the presentation comprised a lot of graphs indicating CO2 levels over 20,000 year periods. Broecker's argument was that CO2 from volcanic eruptions probably had much more of a role than previously thought by geologists in driving these long-term glacial cycles. My project is dealing with the ways in which humans have talked about glaciers (in recent history), so sadly this wasn't too helpful, but still interesting I suppose and also a very clear-cut example of pure, supposedly objective and rational scientific discourse in action.
I've been making my way through the Fairclough book on discourse analysis, and having just completed the two chapters on analysis methods, I'm hoping to try some of them out on media sources. My advisor informs me that the U of A library probably has a full collection of National Geographic magazines, so that will probably be a great opportunity for analysis, as there are no doubt numerous articles in their on glaciers. It will certainly be interesting to see what kinds of things are uncovered; mainly, I'm looking to see what assumptions are in place governing how humans perceive natural change, based on the types of language used by media in describing glaciers and glacial movement/retreat.
Now, a bit of a jump, but if you're interested in the types of themes my short story will be touching upon (I've already got a pretty good idea of how I'll integrate most of these!) here's a quick list I compiled, with the authors I'm getting these ideas from (formatting might get messed up because I'm copying and pasting from a Word document):
1. Contesting of dichotomy between internal and external nature: internal nature’s depiction as an inherent human drive to dominate external nature, or external nature’s depiction as strictly an anti-human force
2. Human monetary desires’ otherizing effect on nature: seeking to confine the environment to a managerial/institutional order so as to “make sense” of it in terms of capital (Harvey)
3. Cartography as power-laden: choosing to emphasize certain geographic or social features over others speaks to imbedded assumptions people hold about society and nature (rural versus urban, national boundaries prior to natural formations, etc.)
4. Emergence of a “new history”: one of pinpointing and describing relationships between various chronologies, determining those chronologies’ “interplay of correlation and dominance” by exposing certain relevant grammatical and semantic trends (Foucault)
5. Finite-ization of language: discourse not as an ever-expanding field of statements but rather a “unity” within which only certain statements can be made and be deemed sensible (Foucault)
6. Nature and wilderness as human constructions: evidenced by perpetuation of certain imageries found in media, political, scientific, and conversational discourse, and upheld by institutions such as conservation initiatives (Robbins)
7. Similar construction of natural/ecological disasters: disasters only disasters to the extent that humans interact with natural transformations taking place, yet framed consistently by media as anti-human forces; impoverished areas more prone to disaster due to poor infrastructure, reduced access to aid, etc. (Carey)
8. “Duality of ecological and social projects”: different narratives surrounding environmental change often follow existing social/political divisions, sustainability debate more about preserving a social order than preserving nature (Harvey, Robbins)
9. Power of narrative in describing environmental systems: emphasizes interpretive aspect of ecology, allowing for multiple perspectives and more equitable environmental solutions, cf. conventional science’s maintenance of itself as the only valid form of explanation (Lejano, Ingram & Ingram)
10. Power of ideology in discourse: ideology (coherent set of political and social beliefs) most effective when “naturalized”: ceasing to be viewed as just one possible belief system but rather embodying certain “common-sense” beliefs, concealing its original arbitrariness (Fairclough)
That's all for now! Hope you all had a good week.
Also, I think I forgot to mention in my last post, but I went to a lecture at the U of A last week on glacial cycles (of expansion and retreat), by premier geochemist Wally Broecker (of Columbia University!) hoping to gain a more scientific perspective on my topic. Unfortunately, almost all of the information went over my head...the presentation comprised a lot of graphs indicating CO2 levels over 20,000 year periods. Broecker's argument was that CO2 from volcanic eruptions probably had much more of a role than previously thought by geologists in driving these long-term glacial cycles. My project is dealing with the ways in which humans have talked about glaciers (in recent history), so sadly this wasn't too helpful, but still interesting I suppose and also a very clear-cut example of pure, supposedly objective and rational scientific discourse in action.
I've been making my way through the Fairclough book on discourse analysis, and having just completed the two chapters on analysis methods, I'm hoping to try some of them out on media sources. My advisor informs me that the U of A library probably has a full collection of National Geographic magazines, so that will probably be a great opportunity for analysis, as there are no doubt numerous articles in their on glaciers. It will certainly be interesting to see what kinds of things are uncovered; mainly, I'm looking to see what assumptions are in place governing how humans perceive natural change, based on the types of language used by media in describing glaciers and glacial movement/retreat.
Now, a bit of a jump, but if you're interested in the types of themes my short story will be touching upon (I've already got a pretty good idea of how I'll integrate most of these!) here's a quick list I compiled, with the authors I'm getting these ideas from (formatting might get messed up because I'm copying and pasting from a Word document):
1. Contesting of dichotomy between internal and external nature: internal nature’s depiction as an inherent human drive to dominate external nature, or external nature’s depiction as strictly an anti-human force
2. Human monetary desires’ otherizing effect on nature: seeking to confine the environment to a managerial/institutional order so as to “make sense” of it in terms of capital (Harvey)
3. Cartography as power-laden: choosing to emphasize certain geographic or social features over others speaks to imbedded assumptions people hold about society and nature (rural versus urban, national boundaries prior to natural formations, etc.)
4. Emergence of a “new history”: one of pinpointing and describing relationships between various chronologies, determining those chronologies’ “interplay of correlation and dominance” by exposing certain relevant grammatical and semantic trends (Foucault)
5. Finite-ization of language: discourse not as an ever-expanding field of statements but rather a “unity” within which only certain statements can be made and be deemed sensible (Foucault)
6. Nature and wilderness as human constructions: evidenced by perpetuation of certain imageries found in media, political, scientific, and conversational discourse, and upheld by institutions such as conservation initiatives (Robbins)
7. Similar construction of natural/ecological disasters: disasters only disasters to the extent that humans interact with natural transformations taking place, yet framed consistently by media as anti-human forces; impoverished areas more prone to disaster due to poor infrastructure, reduced access to aid, etc. (Carey)
8. “Duality of ecological and social projects”: different narratives surrounding environmental change often follow existing social/political divisions, sustainability debate more about preserving a social order than preserving nature (Harvey, Robbins)
9. Power of narrative in describing environmental systems: emphasizes interpretive aspect of ecology, allowing for multiple perspectives and more equitable environmental solutions, cf. conventional science’s maintenance of itself as the only valid form of explanation (Lejano, Ingram & Ingram)
10. Power of ideology in discourse: ideology (coherent set of political and social beliefs) most effective when “naturalized”: ceasing to be viewed as just one possible belief system but rather embodying certain “common-sense” beliefs, concealing its original arbitrariness (Fairclough)
That's all for now! Hope you all had a good week.
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