Environmental Politics and Liberation in Contemporary Africa

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Technology, Environmental, Nature, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science
Cover of the book Environmental Politics and Liberation in Contemporary Africa by M.A. Salih, Springer Netherlands
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: M.A. Salih ISBN: 9789401591652
Publisher: Springer Netherlands Publication: March 14, 2013
Imprint: Springer Language: English
Author: M.A. Salih
ISBN: 9789401591652
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Publication: March 14, 2013
Imprint: Springer
Language: English

Nowadays, the environment looms large in the analysis of conflict in developing societies, and the precise role it plays is the subject of an ongoing debate. The de­ bate has moved on from the earlier, but still popular, notions of 'power struggles', 'class struggles' and 'ethnic conflicts', to a perception of conflict as the product of intense group competition for resources. Where the state controls the distribu­ tion of resources, itself inevitably becomes party to conflicts whose bone of con­ tention is access to state power as the most efficient means of gaining access to resources. The resources in question are social (health, education, transportation, communication, recreation, etc. ) and material (land, water, housing, jobs, con­ tracts, licenses, permits, etc. ). In parts of the world, and especially in Africa, di­ minishing resources and authoritarian state rule exacerbate group competition leading to political confrontation. This is the line I have followed in analysing conflict in the Hom of Africa (Markakis, 1987, 1998). Mohamed Salih's first contribution in this volume is to move the debate a step beyond this line, which can be criticized as unduly materialist. He does it by bringing culture into the realm of resources, not only as a resource in itself, but also as the agency that assigns natural resources their value. Culture thus becomes a contextual element in conflict over resources whose value is culturally deter­ mined.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Nowadays, the environment looms large in the analysis of conflict in developing societies, and the precise role it plays is the subject of an ongoing debate. The de­ bate has moved on from the earlier, but still popular, notions of 'power struggles', 'class struggles' and 'ethnic conflicts', to a perception of conflict as the product of intense group competition for resources. Where the state controls the distribu­ tion of resources, itself inevitably becomes party to conflicts whose bone of con­ tention is access to state power as the most efficient means of gaining access to resources. The resources in question are social (health, education, transportation, communication, recreation, etc. ) and material (land, water, housing, jobs, con­ tracts, licenses, permits, etc. ). In parts of the world, and especially in Africa, di­ minishing resources and authoritarian state rule exacerbate group competition leading to political confrontation. This is the line I have followed in analysing conflict in the Hom of Africa (Markakis, 1987, 1998). Mohamed Salih's first contribution in this volume is to move the debate a step beyond this line, which can be criticized as unduly materialist. He does it by bringing culture into the realm of resources, not only as a resource in itself, but also as the agency that assigns natural resources their value. Culture thus becomes a contextual element in conflict over resources whose value is culturally deter­ mined.

More books from Springer Netherlands

Cover of the book Kant as Philosophical Anthropologist by M.A. Salih
Cover of the book Implementing Environmental Accounts by M.A. Salih
Cover of the book Acute Geriatric Medicine by M.A. Salih
Cover of the book Abyssal Channels in the Atlantic Ocean by M.A. Salih
Cover of the book The Problem of Certainty in English Thought 1630–1690 by M.A. Salih
Cover of the book The Freshwater Budget of the Arctic Ocean by M.A. Salih
Cover of the book Philosophy of Chemistry by M.A. Salih
Cover of the book Neoclassical Economic Theory, 1870 to 1930 by M.A. Salih
Cover of the book Ultrasonography in Ophthalmology XV by M.A. Salih
Cover of the book Making India: Colonialism, National Culture, and the Afterlife of Indian English Authority by M.A. Salih
Cover of the book The Evolution of Human Populations in Arabia by M.A. Salih
Cover of the book Shakespeare’s Religious Frontier by M.A. Salih
Cover of the book Demographic Change in Australia's Rural Landscapes by M.A. Salih
Cover of the book Continuity and Change in the Development of Russell’s Philosophy by M.A. Salih
Cover of the book How School Principals Sustain Success over Time by M.A. Salih
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy