Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Salt, Seasons And Sampans: Riverine Trade And Trqansport In Central Thailand, James Hafner

James A Hafner

Introduction Since Sir John Bowring first recorded these impressions of the central plain of Thailand in the middle of the last, century, time has unalterably changed the context of his account, though not entirely its accuracy. The ‘feracious jungle’ which covered much of the lower central plain in Bowring's time began to disappear under the plow of the Thai peasant farmer in the latter decades of the last century. By 1900 the landscape had been almost entirely converted to an intensive system of irrigated wet-padi production for export. The establishrnent and growth of this commercial agricultural economy has resulted in …

They're Praying For The Worst. Is That Wrong?, Elizabeth Mcalister

Elizabeth McAlister

No abstract provided.

Theorising The ‘Fifth Migration’ In The United States: Understanding Lifestyle Migration From An Integrated Approach, Brian Hoey

Brian A. Hoey, Ph.D.

This chapter is an empirically-informed discussion of relevant social theory for examining the phenomenon of lifestyle migration in the United States in both rural and urban settings. Specifically, the chapter explores key explanatory models born of research into so-called non-economic migration occurring since the early twentieth century—models that may be characterized as primarily either production or consumption oriented in their emphasis—as a context for outlining an integrated approach. The author then highlights changes in how some Americans appear to calculate personal and collective quality of life as engendered by an emerging economic order—based on principles of flexibility and contingency—whose affects …

Lean In Or Lean Back: Reproducing Sustainable Livelihoods In The Transnational Indigenous Art Market, Blaire Gagnon

Blaire Gagnon

No abstract provided.

Searching For Life In Death: Celebratory Mortuary Ritual In The Context Of Us Interfaith Families, Susan Long

Susan O Long

Contemporary societies offer an increasing range of options for mortuary ritual and for dealing with the deceased person’s body. This study explores how a sample of couples coming from differing religious upbringings navigates these choices to reach compatible understandings of death ritual that is appropriate for them. Although some respondents found meaning in established practices of their or their spouse’s religious backgrounds, more commonly they found compatible understandings in the ‘celebration of life’ approach to death. This response can be understood in the relationship between increased interfaith marriage and societal pluralism and in the symbolic ambiguity of ‘celebrating’, which can …

The Color Of Christ In Haiti, Elizabeth Mcalister

Elizabeth McAlister

Beyond Nature Appropriation: Towards Post-Development Conservation In The Maya Forest, Jose Martinez-Reyes

Jose E. Martinez-Reyes

The establishment of biosphere reserves in Mexico was followed by alternative livelihood conservation/development projects to integrate indigenous groups into Western style conservation under the idea of sustainable development and participation. In this paper, I discuss the outcomes of two forest wildlife management projects in one Maya community along the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve in the state of Quintana Roo. Both projects ultimately failed and the community mobilised and expelled the NGO from the community. I argue that the failure of these projects involved two dynamics: 1) lack of coherence between the objectives of state agencies, conservation NGOs, and the local …

Police-Building And The Responsibility To Protect: Civil Society, Gender And Human Rights Culture In Oceania, Charles Hawksley, Nichole Georgeou

Nichole Georgeou

Forthcoming: This book examines how the United Nations and states provide assistance for the police services of developing states to help them meet their human rights obligations to their citizens, under the responsibility to protect (R2P) provisions. It examines police-capacity building ("police-building") by international donors in Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea (PNG). All three states have been described as "fragile states" and "states of concern", and all have witnessed significant social tensions and violence in the past decades. The authors argue that globally police-building forms part of an attempt to make states "safe" so that they can adhere …

Introduction: Between Capitalism, The State, And The Grassroots: Mexico's Contribution To A Global Conservation Debate, Nora Haenn, Elizabeth Olson, Jose Martinez-Reyes, Leticia Durand

Jose E. Martinez-Reyes

his introduction situates Mexico in the research on conservation and society, illustrating some nuances and characteristics of the Mexican model of biodiversity conservation in relation to neoliberal economic development and state formation. The paper critiques the way neoliberalism has become a common framework to understand conservation's social practices. Drawing on the ethnographies collected in this special section, the paper considers the importance of state formation and disorganised neoliberalism as intertwined phenomena that explain conservation outcomes. This approach lends itself to the papers' ethnographic descriptions that demonstrate a particular Mexican form of conservation that sits alongside a globalised biodiversity conservation apparatus. …