Imposing Wilderness: Struggles over Livelihood and Nature Preservation in Africa (California Studies in Critical Human Geography)

California Studies in Critical Human Geography #4

by Roderick P. Neumann

Arusha National Park in northern Tanzania, known for its scenic beauty, is also a battleground. Roderick Neumann's illuminating analysis shows how this park embodies all the political-ecological dilemmas facing protected areas throughout Africa. The roots of the ongoing struggle between the park on Mount Meru and the neighboring Meru peasant communities go much deeper, in Neumann's view, than the issues of poverty, population growth, and ignorance usually cited. These conflicts reflect differences that go back to the beginning of colonial rule. By imposing a European ideal of pristine wilderness, Neumann says, the establishment of national parks and protected areas displaced African meanings as well as material access to the land. He focuses on the symbolic importance of natural landscapes among various social groups in this setting and how it relates to conflicts between peasant communities and the state.

Genres: Environment, Africa

270 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1998

Reviews

[Daniel Clausen · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest, I wanted to read this book because it was written by a professor of mine. His environment and development class was a remarkable experience.

I probably read the for very different reasons than others have. I wanted something that I could read that was interesting, would help me unwind after doing my own research (on completely different issues), and would allow me to get an outside look on my own research. More importantly, I was looking for an academic book that told a good story. The book is exactly what it is advertised to be. It represents human geography, and more specifically political ecology, at its best. It demonstrates the struggles of the Meru people in Tanzania over issues of livelihood against the problem of the state-imposed land enclosures that are public parks.

What I also liked about the book is its eclecticism. I've never been a particularly big fan of mono-causal theorizing. I've always thought of the world and especially the political world as big, messy, and complex. This book does what political ecology does at its best, it acknowledges the complexity of the world while still managing to create a coherent picture of it. Wilderness is indeed imposed through public parks, but never in a way that is absolute or indisputable. Because I was reading the book for pleasure, perhaps what I liked best were the reflections of the author's personal conversations with the people of Meru during his field research.

Though thoroughly academic (with all the caveats that implies) the book is also one with a very human (and humanist) face to it.

[R.L.S.D · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling discussion of the conflicts that exist between human rights on the one hand and conservation efforts with their colonialist history on the other.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Famous and has some good points about fortress conservation, race and environmentalism, but feels a bit dated.

[Mollie Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very compelling ethnographic text examining wildlife conservation from a critical perspective. I never thought about it this way and would recommend this book to anyone looking to learn more about conservation efforts and their impacts on indigenous communities.

[elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

for class
i liked it! a lot. the title is good