Economic diversification and second‐tier political conflict: Assessing bitumen political ecologies in southwest Nigeria

Since its emergence as a research field in the 1980s, political ecology has provided a useful tool to explicate violent environments, notably as hallmarks of natural resource‐dependent economies. Practitioners regularly address what might be called ‘charismatic’ natural resources such as oil and other precious minerals to describe contestation over access and control of natural resources. Yet, where this focus exists, the political ecology of less economically valuable or ‘noncharismatic’ resources is thereby obscured. Thus, Nigeria's dependency on oil production has generated much scholarly attention with its unstable political economy described as a rentier state. In contrast, this paper draws on extensive field experience and knowledge about the country to assess in a preliminary manner some of the dimensions and ramifications of a less well known second‐tier natural resource commodity that is gaining attention as part of a possible national economic diversification strategy. Using the case of bitumen, a viscous hydrocarbon mainly used in road surfacing and roofing work, I assess the trajectory of this relatively overlooked resource, thereby opening a window onto the political ecology of a noncharismatic resource. In contrast to the ubiquitous violence in the oil‐based Niger Delta, I suggest that bitumen political ecologies, while also provoking political conflict and debate, nonetheless seem to being marked by new power dynamics that might augur a less violence prone path in terms of Nigeria's political economy of natural resource production.     

Reflections on the iconography of environmental justice activism

The United States environmental justice movement has grown in the last 20 years from tactical cooperation between civil rights and environmental activists on hazardous waste issues into a broad-based movement for social change. As dozens of organizations invest resources in an environmental justice agenda, it is important to examine how such organizations portray their stance toward the goals of the larger movement in order to better understand tensions within the movement between social justice and environmental protection, diversity and commonality, and localized and broader movement agendas. This paper explores what contemporary environmental justice imagery tells us about this social movement through a critical discourse analysis of environmental justice organizations' logos. The conceptual approach used here links a tradition of critical discourse analysis of textual materials with elements of a critical visual methodology. The paper examines how the social grievance of environmental injustice is constructed in relation to the social and natural world, and considers what these images tell us about the identities, relationships and modes of authority that constitute the contemporary environmental justice movement.     

THE GREATER MIDDLE EAST AND REFORM IN THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S IDEOLOGICAL IMAGINATION

ABSTRACT. In pursuit of its foreign‐policy goals, the administration of President George W. Bush has attempted a dramatic reshaping of the vision of the Middle East in the American mind. References to the “new” or “greater” Middle East now include countries far outside traditional concepts of the region, including those in West Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia. The administration argues that this region is defined not by cultural (Arab) or religious (Islam) characteristics but by a lack of democracy; hence a grand strategy is needed to execute reform. This article examines current U.S. efforts to achieve reform in the region, the components of the ideological construction of the New Middle East, the perceived role of Iraq, Turkey's potential role as a “model” for the region, and responses from the region to current U.S.‐led reform efforts.     

Leimavo Revisited: Agrarian Land-Use Change in the Highlands of Madagascar

Describing and explaining land-use change is of critical concern in Madagascar, where land transformations such as deforestation and resulting environmental degradation currently capture widespread attention. While the eastern rain forest recedes in the face of swidden cultivators, the highlands demonstrate more constructive transformations. In this paper I present a case study of land-use change in Leimavo, a small village near Ambositra studied in the 1960s by Jean-Pierre Raison. Here, the twentieth century has seen a gradual reduction in irrigated rice cultivation and cattle husbandry, and a boom in market-oriented orange, vegetable, and grain production. In the long term, a historical landscape of grassy hills has been transformed into a productive cultural landscape with woodlots, anti-erosion benching, rice terraces, fruit groves, and diverse crops. Critical factors determining the trajectory of land-use change include regional population pressure, state policies, market incentives, climate variations, and access to land and water resources. These critical factors, or explanations, are linked in the discussion by the use of a simple heuristic device—the range of choice—as a theoretical framework.     

Urban Environmental Justice Indices

Environmental justice is the principle that environmental costs and amenities ought to be equitably distributed within society. Due to the ethical, political, and public–health implications, and because many choices confront those researching environmental justice, standardized measures are needed to inform public dialogue and policy. We develop and test seven indices on three Colorado cities to measure the relationship between the distribution of environmental hazards and minority and poverty–stricken populations, and recommend the Comparative Environmental Risk Index as a preliminary, standardized measure for comparing urban areas. This index is particularly relevant to disadvantaged communities, regional planning organizations, environmental–justice networks and scholars, and state and federal agencies.     

基于VRIO修正模型的长三角文化产业竞争力评价

文化产业已经成为我国促进经济结构转型、扩大内需的重要着力点。结合VRIO模型,从价值、稀缺性、不可模仿性与组织4个层面构建文化产业竞争力评价指标体系,体现文化产业的载体依附性、创意性和消费高门槛性。利用物元分析法对2012—2018年长三角地区11个城市文化产业竞争力进行研究。结果表明:(1)长三角地区文化产业竞争力提升明显,但区域内部发展不平衡,城市间层级特征明显;(2)江苏与浙江的文化产业竞争力受不同发展模式影响,分别侧重于政府扶持下的规模化生产与市场推动下的新型物质载体升级。结合区域文化产业竞争力评价结果提出针对性的建议。     

批判地缘政治学视角下原住民组织对北极事务的参与和影响

从自发组建的非政府组织到北极事务中颇具影响力的权力组织,原住民组织已经成长为北极事务中不可忽视的利益攸关方。在获取北极事务参与权及实施行动决策中,北极原住民组织展现了独特的思考和实践。基于批判地缘政治学的理论视角观察因纽特环北极理事会为代表的原住民组织的发展历程,发现：（1）北极原住民组织强调基于文本生产的知识权力获取方式;（2）制度性参与是原住民组织的主要行动路径。北极事务参与权的获取及针对性行动策略的实施帮助原住民组织成功影响和重塑了北极的治理理念、身份认同与地理空间,推动北极地区向着善治和良治发展。通过对因纽特环北极理事会案例的解析,可以为中国拓展自身在北极地区的合作空间提供参考。     

服务“一带一路”的世界地理课程思政“金字塔”教学模式

实施课程思政是实现立德树人根本任务的重要途径。随着课程思政改革的深入推进,传统的教学模式在部分教学环节出现了“失效”的现象,亟需一套新的教学模式以适应课程思政改革的要求。世界地理是地理学专业的核心课程,全球百年变局、“一带一路”倡议、课程思政改革等多重背景为世界地理教学提供了新的契机,同时也赋予了新的使命。为此,融合多种国内外先进教学模式,构建了服务“一带一路”的世界地理课程思政“金字塔”教学新模式。提出以服务“一带一路”建设为教学宗旨;奉行教学与科研融合,理论与实践并重的教学理念;以知识、能力和思政的综合达成为教学目标;着力实施理论课程群体化、教学资源多样化、教学内容时代化和教学手段多元化四大建设举措。以期更好地培养具有“世界眼光、家国情怀、专业素养”的卓越拔尖人才,为服务“一带一路”倡议建设提供人才智力保障。     

“A Salute to the Bandido”: A Political Ecology of Voice Exploration into Peru’s Freedom of Voice Surrounding Hydrocarbon Development

This paper sets out to evaluate the freedom of voice for Peruvian stakeholders affected by hydrocarbon development. This occurs through the utilization of a political ecology of voice (PEV) theoretical framework based upon the theory of voice by Albert Hirschman and political ecology. PEV can be defined as the study of economic, political, social, and geographical factors over a specific time period and their impact upon the use of voice by stakeholders. Peru’s case study was focused on its main oil-producing Loreto Region and incorporated evaluation of hydrocarbon voice mechanisms (prior consultation and environmental impact assessments) supported by interview testimony of stakeholders and state officials. PEV analysis reveals a political environment which is dangerous, inflexible, and intolerant of Peruvian stakeholders voicing over hydrocarbon development. This is due to the state’s zealous pursuit of its “selva (rainforest) hydrocarbon and development vision” which severely undermines Peruvian stakeholder’s freedom of voice.     

Resilience and justice: planning for New York City

New York City has developed recent policy initiatives under the rubric of resilience. I consider the implications of extending the concept of resilience beyond the physical environment, analyze the effect of planning for adaptation rather than prevention, and finally examine the positive role played by community groups organized for environmental justice in responding to resiliency planning. My argument is that use of the term resilience tends to obscure distributional impacts and, even under a progressive mayor, supports neoliberal policy initiatives.