
Professor in Yale’s School of Forestry
and Environmental Studies
› Social Ecology
› Anthropology


http://environme
nt.yale.edu/profil
e/dove/
Has done research in both India and Pakistan (over
12 years)
College
› Undergraduate at Northwestern University
› Masters and PhD at Stanford University

Written many articles and books
› Conservation Nature in Culture: Case Studies from
Southeast Asia
Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Politics by Michael Dove, presented by Elizabeth Anderson

“focuses upon the complex relations
between people and their environment”
(Panakhyo and McGrath)

Methods used in the article:
› Literature review
› Literature used includes a variety of
anthropological works, which were probably
based on participant observation
Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Politics by Michael Dove, presented by Elizabeth Anderson

Concepts of indigenous and modernity
› Rise and critique of indigeneity
Indigenous peoples and the environment
 Movements started by indigenous people

› Rights
› Environment

Alternative environmentalisms
› Meshing conservation and society
Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Politics by Michael Dove, presented by Elizabeth Anderson

Defining indigenous
› Do we need “modernity” for there to be
“indigenous” people”?
› Defined by politics and history?
Development discourse
 Indigenous people

shaped land
(from http://westinstenv.org/sosf/2010/01
/08/ancient-amazon-earthworks-seen-by-satellite/)
Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Politics by Michael Dove, presented by Elizabeth Anderson
Local environmental knowledge
 Conservation
 Myth of noble savage

› There are “three essentialized myths about
indigenous peoples: that of the exotic other, the
intruding wastrel, and the noble savage or fallen
angel.” (Dove, 197)

How does politics and the modern world fit
in with indigeneity?
› Integrated Conservation and Development
Projects
Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Politics by Michael Dove, presented by Elizabeth Anderson

Zapatistas
› Land reform
Zapatista Movement
From
http://www.beaverstatepermacul
ture.com/profiles/blogs/chiapasmexico-and-the-return

Chipko Movement
› Preventing
deforestation
Chipko Movement
From
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipk
o_movement
Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Politics by Michael Dove, presented by Elizabeth Anderson
Chose the article because it appealed
to a wide variety of my interests
 Limitations

› Draws on a variety of sources, but who wrote
them?
 Indigenous peoples?
 Educated, “modern” people
 Might affect article
Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Politics by Michael Dove, presented by Elizabeth Anderson
More research on relationship between
indigenous people and environment
 Changing climate

› How do people adapt?

Important to realize that indigenous
people
› Live in our world
› Face the same problems
Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Politics by Michael Dove, presented by Elizabeth Anderson
Research on indigenous peoples is very
important for understanding
environmental sustainability
 However, we must understand the ethics
of doing so, as well as not idealizing
certain groups of people

Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Politics by Michael Dove, presented by Elizabeth Anderson
Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Politics by Michael Dove, presented by Elizabeth Anderson
!Kung people, from http://www.der.org/films/kung-series.html
Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Politics by Michael Dove, presented by Elizabeth Anderson