Abstracts
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Tuesday, February 27
11:00 – 1:00 Session
7
7A. Situated
Embodiment: Valuing a Gendered Perspective
Library
Browsing Room, Knight Library
Chair: Suzanne Clark, University of Oregon
Expanding
the Circle: Connections between Ecofeminism and Contemporary Science
Deborah
Frisch, Department of Psychology, University of Oregon
The main premise underlying ecofeminism is that
there is a connection between the oppression of women and the exploitation of
the natural world. Once we make this
connection, other forms of oppression fit in as well. University of Oregon law professor Robin Morris Collin has argued
that racism is part of the same pattern.
We can extend the idea further to apply to intellectual prejudices. That
is, the privileged status of science as a method of understanding the world
(scientism) is a prejudice that is fundamentally the same as sexism. The common theme in these different types of
oppression is that the world is divided into two categories (male/female;
human/non-human; white/black; scientific knowledge/experiential knowledge) and
one category is assumed to be superior to the other.
This analysis highlights the similarity between
ecofeminism and research in other disciplines. In The Turning Point, the
physicist Fritjof Capra expresses the same idea in terms of the Chinese
concepts of yin and yang. Capra argues
that Western culture elevates male (yang) values over female (yin) ones. Like
many ecofeminists, Capra argues that this imbalance is the cause of many of the
ecological and social crises we face. In Descartes' Error, the neurologist
Antonio Damasio presents empirical evidence challenging the idea (often traced
to Descartes) that reason is a more valid source of information about the world
than emotion. In sum, by expanding on
the central tenet of ecofeminism, it is possible to see how it relates to
several important findings in contemporary science.
Counting
the Bodies: Corporeal Testimony in
Terry Tempest Williams's Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place
Tina
Richardson, English Department,
University of Oregon
Working out of a larger project
examining gender as an environmental justice issue Ms. Richardson will discuss
Terry Tempest Williams and her book Refuge
as an environmental justice text.
Within this context Ms. Richardson defines the text as political
activism. She argues that when read as
an environmental text a reader can approach a fuller understanding of Williams’
project: the conversations she opens, the reality of gender discrimination in
toxic pollution, and the consequences if, as a society, we continue to ignore
the risks that reality imposes.
Williams’ text then becomes a critical discussion of power systems as
they form and affect policy decisions and practices relating to the
environment, humanity, and especially women.
For Williams, cancer is an environmental justice issue and women are the
particular segment of the population at risk.
“Can’t
See the Forest for Her Tree” – Activism Celebrity, and Julia ‘Butterfly’ Hill
Audrey
Vanderford, Folklore Program, University of Oregon
Treesitting is a form of non-violent direct action
used by forest protection activists that involves physically occupying trees in
danger of being cut. From platforms a
hundred feet or more high, treesitters both protest and prevent trees from
being felled. This tactic has been used
for over a decade, and treesits are scattered throughout the forests of the
Pacific Northwest and northern California.
By dwelling in the trees, activists place their own lives at risk,
challenging anthropocentric assumptions about the “worth” of the forest. Furthermore, by living in a treesit,
activists are able to reside “in nature” and thus in harmony with their own
philosophical beliefs about ecology and wilderness.
Undoubtedly the world’s best-known treesitter, Julia
“Butterfly” Hill spent two years in “Luna,” a 1000-year-old redwood in Northern
California. Hill’s brave act of civil
disobedience generated immense media attention for the destruction of old
growth forests. But Hill’s story also
generated attention for Hill herself, and she has been exalted into celebrity
stardom. In the media spotlight, the
plight of the ancient forests has become the story of one tree; the efforts of
Earth First! and other radical environmentalists have been reduced to the
struggle of one woman. This paper
examines the political and cultural dynamics that propel an activist into fame
and discusses how and why certain stories are allowed access into popular
culture, while others are denied. This
paper assesses these activists’ critique of Hill, questioning how “celebrity”
affects others within the movement and influences the ability of the general
public to take ecological issues seriously.
Natural
Politics: Racial Formations, Labor, and Historical Bodies
Noël
Sturgeon, Women’s Studies/American Studies, Washington State University
Most ecofeminist theorists rely on a critique of
Western dualism and rationalism in order to analyze the relation between social
inequalities and environmental problems. I propose more emphasis on a critique of
the use of the natural as a mark of ideologies of exploitation, and argue that
such an approach enables a more flexible and historically grounded analysis of
the ways in which inequalities are created, reproduced, and maintained. As
examples, I discuss the ways different peoples have been raced and natured in
different historical, political economic and cultural contexts
(African-Americans, Native Americans, Chicana/os, Asian-Americans and
Australian aborigines) as well as the apparent naturalization of the so-called
free market in a global system.
7B. Unruly Invasives and Demon Exotics: The Moral-Scientific Politics of Species
Management
Ben
Linder Room, Erb Memorial Union
Chair: Reid Helford, Whitman College
This panel brings together several individuals drawn
from the natural science, social sciences, and activist community who have in
some way confronted the moral politics of exotic species management in their
research or activist work. The goal of
the panel is to broaden consideration of exotic species and their ecological
management beyond the boundaries of the natural sciences and to underscore the
social and political contexts in which decisions about exotics are made and put
into practice. Presenters will discuss
their views on, and research experiences with, exotic species, present the
reaction of the mainstream conservation community to their "unpopular
views" on exotics and discuss the significance of these reactions, and
present proposals for change in the scientific and political practice of exotic
species management.
Prairie
Politics: Species Management in
Metropolitan Chicago & the Social Structure of Nature
Reid
Helford, Department of Environmental Studies, Whitman College
In
Defense of Starlings
Mark
Spreyer, Alexander Stillman Nature Center
Prairie
Specialist Butterflies & the Use of Fire in Ecosystem Management
Ann
Swengel, North American Butterfly Association
7C. Citizens Taking
Action: Studies of Citizen Involvement
Fir
Room, Erb Memorial Union
Chair: Irene Diamond, University of Oregon
The
Good as the Enemy of the Perfect:
Science, Sustainability, and Environmental Lobbying
Steve
Breyman, Department of Science & Technology Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute
This paper reports the interim
findings of an ongoing participant-observation experience in New York
State. A political scientist schooled
in international relations, comparative politics, and political theory, I teach
multidisciplinary environmental studies in an interdisciplinary science and
technology studies program.
From these disciplinary roots
and scholarly guides, I set out to do a little community service. I got busy with the Greens, social justice
and human rights groups, local environmental protection associations, and fair
trade organizations.
A couple of years ago, I was
elected to the Board of Directors of Environmental Advocates (EA), New York’s
premier state-level environmental group.
Last year, I was elevated to EA’s Executive Committee, the Board’s
policymaking body. I have been
continually frustrated with Environmental Advocate’s maddeningly moderate,
incrementalist agenda, our imprisonment by “sound science,” and our modest
means (action rather than financial).
We are currently embroiled in a “strategic planning” process, which I
chair, that has provoked further feelings of cynicism, resignation, and
hopelessness.
My aim in this paper is to
wrestle with four questions for those working at the intersection of
environmental studies, public policy, and contemporary ecological activism:
1. What are the costs for environmental action of relying on science
as the arbiter of how far to push legislators?
Why does science still have the final say for so many full-time
environmentalists?
2. How can
we ever build sustainable societies when we can’t even pass legislation to
notify citizens that pesticides were sprayed on their neighbor’s property? How to move from pushing “realistic” policy
shifts and incremental environmental protection measures to advocating for the
wholesale, revolutionary changes necessary for sustainability?
3. How to
move from a heavy and demoralizing reliance on lobbying recalcitrant
legislators to a strategy that mobilizes the grassroots for radical change?
4. How best to share the main insights from
environmental and science studies with professional environmentalists?
The hope is that tentative reflections on these
questions will prove useful to Environmental Advocates, and other green groups,
and to science studies and environmental studies scholars interested in
questions of citizenship, expertise, sustainability, environmentalism, and
public environmental discourse.
Taking
Citizens Seriously? Public
Participation in Environmental Policy at the U.S. Department of Energy's
Hanford Nuclear Reservation
William
Kinsella, Department of Communication, Lewis & Clark College
The
U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Nuclear Reservation is widely regarded as
the most polluted environment in the Western hemisphere. For almost five decades Hanford was a site of
plutonium production for the U.S. nuclear weapons program, and the site now
houses a dangerous legacy of leaking waste storage tanks, spent reactor fuel,
and other forms of nuclear and chemical waste.
Hanford's health effects on its workers and neighbors, its relationship
to the local and regional environments, and its complex environmental
remediation program are settings for citizen activism, scientific research, and
legal controversy.
Since
1998, I have been conducting a program of ethnographic research on Hanford that
asks questions about organizational communication, public participation in
government institutions, and the tensions between democratic decision-making
and technical expertise. This project
has brought me into contact with a wide range of citizen stakeholders and with
officials representing the states of Washington and Oregon, the U.S. Department
of Energy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Over time my own role has evolved from one
of scholarly observation, to one which includes practical work with a
Portland-based public interest group, a regional network of groups that monitor
and critique the activities at Hanford, and a federally-chartered citizens'
advisory board. This paper draws upon
these experiences to examine how nature, citizenship, and the relationship
between the two are understood and constituted by the many communities that
interact at Hanford. These ethnographic
observations provide the basis for an analysis of Hanford as a case study in
environmental and political communication.
Citizens,
Science and the Democratic Process: The USDA's National Organic Program
Stuart
W. Shulman, Environmental Science &
Policy Program, Drake University
Federal agencies are increasingly deploying new
technologies to improve citizen/government interaction. In a statement released
by the White House on December 17, 1999, the Clinton Administration reinforced
the importance of upgrading the "capacity of regulatory agencies for using
the Internet to become more open, efficient, and responsive…." Earlier
efforts in the area of electronic government have created new opportunities as
well as challenges associated with real-world operating constraints. For
example, on December 15, 1997, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
sought public comment on proposed national standards to govern the marketing of
organic agricultural products. According to the online journal GOVEXEC.COM, the
USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP) conducted "the first fully
electronic rule-making for a major regulation in federal history."
Following publication of the proposed rule over the Internet, the USDA received
over 275,000 public comments by E-mail, WWW, fax and postal mail.
A number of key questions will be that will be of
interest to the academic community and federal regulatory agencies as they
standardize systems for gathering and analyzing citizen input. How can the public comment process be
modified to ensure the input of underrepresented groups who may not have
Internet access? Will the
groundbreaking NOP process shape the way the federal government uses advanced
technology when managing large qualitative data sets derived from
citizen/government interaction? What
role can qualitative data analysis play in expediting informed analysis of
patterns in public commentary and in what ways can these findings be used to
affect policy decisions?
7D. Learning from
Denmark: Processes of Ecological
Transformation
Walnut
Room, Erb Memorial Union
Chair: Andrew Jamison, Aalborg University
Experiences
with Cleaner Technology and Environmental Management
Per
Christensen, Department of Development & Planning, Aalborg University
In
many respects Denmark is a leading country in introducing environmental
management and pollution prevention in the industry. In the mid-eighties,
Denmark embarked on these efforts. Since then environmental regulation have
undergone dramatic changes and furthermore, a host of new forms of governance
has been introduced. These changes have altered the role of public administration,
as it has to rely more on reflexive forms of governance. Interacting with new
partners, such as branch organizations, NGOs and creating trust between
"inspectors" and "managers" are new ways of doing things,
although the Danish tradition for (corporate) governance in many respects is
already in favor of this, in contrast to more hostile regulatory traditions.
Shifting stance from command and control and abatement measures to a more
interactive way of governing based first of all on trust and relying on more
…fluffy…. principles, such as precaution, prevention and sustainability entails
a paradigmatic revolution. The contours of this revolution will be outlined and
the lessons learned will be discussed, highlighting first of all the experiences
made this far in respect of introducing cleaner technologies and environmental
management in Danish industries.
Green
Agency: Changing Attitudes and
Behaviors
Karsten
Hansen, Aalborg University
Danish authorities have realized that environmental
problems should be understood in much broader cultural and social contexts,
when it comes to change the behavior of ordinary people’s everyday life to
become more environmentally friendly. One of the most important features of the
Danish approach is that support is provided for projects with local ”catalysts”
who shall be a change agent in regard to altering our daily lives.
The Danish authorities finance Local Agenda 21
centers, Local Urban Ecology Centers and Local Green Guides, in cooperation
with e.g. municipal governments. These persons/ centers can be seen as
intermediaries in municipalities and neighborhoods, where they provide
inspiration, knowledge and guidelines for more sustainable ways of living.
In
the paper I will tell more about these Agents experiences regarding: 1) How environmental problems are becoming a
part of our daily lives, 2) How these local agents act as catalysts and change the habits and attitudes of ordinary
people, ) What is important when these agents want to communicate with ordinary
people, and 4) the kinds of tools they use to encourage cultural learning
processes (E.g. Ecological Footprint,
Green Account, Environmental Indicators or Citizen Participation).
The
Mobilization of Populism: Reflections on
the Danish Style of Ecological Transformation
Andrew
Jamison, Department of Development &
Planning, Aalborg University
Denmark has been one of the more active countries in
Europe in responding to the call for a more sustainable socio-economic
development. Many industrial firms have been “front-runners” in environmental
management and pollution prevention. The government has supported activities
both in industry and agriculture, as well as in transportation, energy and
other areas of the public sector. There have also been a great many “social
experiments” in renewable energy, organic agriculture, ecological housing, etc,
that have been conducted at the local level, often with the involvement of
environmental activists and movement organizations.
This
paper tries to place this activity in a broader cultural and historical
perspective. On the one hand, it contrasts the Danish experiences with those
taking place in other European countries, using a comparative cultural
framework that has been developed in a recent European project on public
participation and science and technology options (PESTO) that I coordinated. On
the other hand, it discusses some of the elements of the historical traditions
of rural populism, which were important factors in the Danish industrialization
process, which have been mobilized in contemporary ecological transformations.
The
Precautionary Principle in Action:
Examples from Chemical Regulation
Soren
Lokke, Department of Development &
Planning, Aalborg University
The paper will examine the institutionalization of
the precautionary principle in Denmark, with a focus on chemicals policy. With
a point of departure in the parliamentary debates related to the precautionary
principle, the debates and various uses of the principle will be unfolded. The
major constituencies that are involved in this process are the Danish
Environmental Protection Agency, environmental professionals, e.g. in the
National Environmental Research Institute, Danish and international NGOs, and
organizations representing the industry.
The debates over the precautionary principle in
Denmark are discussed in the light of the ongoing process of revising the
European chemicals legislation, which have been demanded by the European
Council to take into account the precautionary principle.
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