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The Politics of Development and Conservation: Legacies of Colonialism[Note 1. This is a substantially revised version of a paper ...] 1
Author(s) -
Agrawal Arun
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
peace and change
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1468-0130
pISSN - 0149-0508
DOI - 10.1111/0149-0508.00062
Subject(s) - ideology , colonialism , autonomy , politics , face (sociological concept) , environmental ethics , sociology , colonial period , political economy , political science , social science , law , philosophy
This paper draws upon texts on development during the colonial and the postwar period, and on conservation today, to elucidate some of the similarities in ideologies that underlie these writings. The paper suggests that despite differences there are interesting, sometimes striking, affinities in these discourses, and that the roots of the correspondences can be traced to the project of progress. The paper highlights themes that presume the powerlessness of the objects of development and conservation. It goes on to suggest that an ethically acceptable face of conservation requires greater autonomy and freer play to the preferences of local users of resources, even if such autonomy does not lead to efficient conservation.