2/28: India

For 2/28, please read the Guha and Rangan articles (both in the mywebspace folder.) 

Williams will provide some helpful background information on the British role in Indian forest history: Michael Williams, Deforesting the Earth, 326-348.

Compare and contrast the two scholars' perspectives on the role of the state versus the role of the community in Indian forestry. 

Harrison Feb. 21, 2011

For Feb. 21, read: Robert Pogue Harrison, Forests: The Shadow of Civilization: 19-30, 46-58, 107-124  my webspace 


We will NOT discuss Molly Gloss, Wild Life, this week--because everyone is focusing right now  on the political situation, we'll save the novel discussion for April 14th.

• Activity--Erin and Joelle: explore the use of literary sources in forest history.

BLOG Due 11:30: QUESTIONS YOU MAY CONSIDER:
Discuss the complex meanings of Wild Men in Forests. Or explore connections between the current political situation and Harrison's discussion of William the Conqueror and Forest Law in England.

James Scott, Seeing Like A State

James C Scott, Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed, selections

Robert Pogue Harrison, Forests, pp. 61-81. 

Harrison and Scott are in the  my webspace  folder: https://mywebspace.wisc.edu/xythoswfs/webui/_xy-39180961_1-t_Re9njwuK

optional background: Michael Williams, Deforesting the Earth, pp 87-149 (background information--you may skim this).

• QUESTIONS YOU MAY CONSIDER:

What is Scott's central argument about the ways the needs of the state affected land tenure and forest diversity? What evidence does Scott use to support his argument? Do you find it compelling

To help guide your reading, here are several critical  concepts we'll consider from Scott. 

• land tenure
• cadastral survey 
• growing power of the state
• common property

If you're not certain what land tenure means, the FAO has a useful definition on its website (http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/005/Y4307E/y4307e05.htm). 

Amanda and Cory will be leading the class discussion activity next Monday, focusing on Picnic Point. If you want to learn more about cadastral surveys and other types of records that are discussed in Scott's Seeing Like A State, the website for the Lakeshore Preserve has some great resources: 

http://www.lakeshorepreserve.wisc.edu/landscape/landscape.htm

Deep History

Michael Williams, Deforesting the Earth, pp 3-86

Charles Mann, “1491,” The Atlantic Monthly March 2002 http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2002/03/1491/2445/ 

Mertens, "Can't See the Forests for the Trees,"  

QUESTIONS YOU MAY CONSIDER:

1. According to Williams, what are the most important processes shaping forest change before the Christian era?

2. What sources of evidence do we use to construct our understandings of the distant past? What sources of evidence do we tend to overlook?

3. If Mann and Mertens are correct, what are some implications of their arguments for environmental policy?