Celia Lowe - Assistant Professor of Anthropology, University of Washington
Seminar Abstract:
"Global Markets, Local Injustice in Southeast Asian Seas: The Live Fish
Trade and Local Fishers in the Togean Islands of Sulawesi, Indonesia", the
article upon which my talk was based, contains a key insight for conservation:
look to the dynamics of the larger political economy to understand the forcesdrivinglocal
community practices. I am interested in offering a strong correctiveto an
excessive focus on local communities in attributing responsibilityforenvironmental
degredation. In the Togean Islands, at the behest of powerful,semi-illegal,
live fish cartels backed by the Indonesian military, poor peopleat the beginning
of the commodity chain are inducted into debt, dependency,and destructive
fishing practices. These communities are the objects of intimidationand extortion
by government, military, and private sector officials. Theyare also the objects
of intervention for international and national conservationprojects. Thesecret
to controlling this destructive trade is not to lecturepoliticallyweak communities
of fishers, or to offer neo-liberal market incentives,butto direct policy
and law enforcement at more powerful parties at regionaland national levels.
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Biography:
Celia Lowe has been AssistantProfessor of Anthropologyat the University of Washington since 1999. Celia's research is a comparative study of understandings of nature and place in the Togean Islandsof Sulawesi, Indonesia. Celia works with two groups: people of Sama ethnicity who are Togean residents and marginal within the Indonesianstate, and elite Indonesian and Euro-american conservationistswho want to seethe Islands become a national park. Sama and conservationists each have theirown material and discursive nature-making practices whichtransform the biophysicalityof the Togean Islands: while conservationistsproduce the Islands as 'Naturelands',Sama people craft 'Homelands' from thesame Togean spaces.Celia plans to continuestudies of biodiversity conservationand Samalan peoples eventually extendingher research to Philippine contexts.
Readings
Celia Lowe's Personal Link
Last modified 12/9/01
Please sumbit any questions or comments to: susfish@u.washington.edu