This week's seminar will feature Dr. Julie Silva and will take place on Thursday, February 3rd from 3:45pm-5:00pm via Zoom. Dr Silva's presentation will be about 'Decolonizing Geographical Knowledge: Reflections on the Inconvenient Case of Rhino Horns'. Attached to this email is a flyer about this event and a short commentary about the topic Dr. Silva will be presenting.
Abstract: As
Radcliffe (2017) notes, decolonizing geography is an uncomfortable
process, especially for members of privileged groups. Within economic
geography, recent engagement with non-Western conceptualizations of
well-being is a hopeful development in a field dominated by Western
scholars. Amartya Sen’s capability approach offers a promising framework
for evaluating integrated conservation and rural development efforts in
a manner more deeply informed by contextually relevant worldviews,
values, and wider socio-economic relations. Yet the success of such a
project rests on the ability of Western scholars to work towards
decolonizing the knowledge production that takes place within
contemporary academic research. Alternative narratives of progress, and
actions taken to realize these alternatives, can raise difficult
questions. For example, what if some societies desire a future that is
unpalatable to Western conservation ideals? In this personal narrative, I
draw on my experiences researching multidimensional poverty and
inequality in southern Africa. Focusing on the economic development
generated by illegal rhino hunting, I reflect on some moral and ethical
predicaments that arise when resisting and rethinking hegemonic Western
ideologies of progress.
Zoom Meeting Information:
URL: https://zoom.us/j/99193968299?Meeting ID: 991 9396 8299
Meeting Password: 6QnC6d