ENV 693b/ANTH 598b (In Person) / 2020-2021

Advanced Readings: Social Science of Development and Conservation

This course is an advanced seminar on the social science theory of conservation and development, designed to give M.E.Sc. and doctoral students a wider theoretical context for analyzing and writing up their research. The course traces the conceptual history of the social science theory of conservation and development, focusing on theories of power, governmentality, subject creation, and the economy. It examines relations between these theories, alternative theories, and how this history influences the field. The course covers the works of Michel Foucault most relevant to the field, important social scientists who have used Foucault’s ideas (e.g., Timothy Mitchell, Tania Li, Donald Moore, David Mosse, Anand Pandian), alternative theories of power (e.g., James Scott, Bruno Latour, Timothy Mitchell), applications of Foucault’s ideas to development (James Ferguson and Arturo Escobar), applications of Foucault’s ideas to the environment (especially Arun Agrawal, Bruce Braun, Eric Darier), theories of the economic subject (Peter Miller & O’Leary, Anna Tsing, Katherine Rankin); Foucault on the economy and neoliberalism; the power of the economy in Tania Li;theories of resistance and counter-conduct (Michel Foucault, Carl Death, James Scott), and Foucault and Space.  Students are expected to use the course to develop, and present in class, their own research and writing. Prerequisite: ENV 839a, 877b, or 882a. Three hours lecture/seminar.