PhD Student Vacancy - Manifestations of colonial geography in Current-day environmental conservation

Cartography has been used as a tool of this power-making by categorizing and creating imagined borders around human and non-human landscapes which are in line with colonial world views (Edney, 1997). Modern tools of mapping and analysis of geographical data have also been described as reproducing the same harms of colonial geography, trying to fit indigenous, plural ways of knowing into a singular Western framework. These ‘tools’ of geography are used in environmental conservation practices, be that to map the boundaries of a protected area according to species distribution, designate land use based on GIS data or provide evidence for policymakers. The harms of conservation practice, often affecting marginalised groups in the global south are not new, and cases of conflict between the state, people and non-state organisations are unfortunately commonplace in India (among other post-colonial states). The newer environmental interventions that have become mainstream like investment in carbon offsets are still based in neoliberal frameworks of colonial-capitalism and make use of the same geographical knowledge mentioned above.

The aim of this project is to explore how colonial geographical knowledge continues to manifest in environmental conservation projects in India. This will be done with a case study approach by looking at various field sites and working with a student who understands the context of Indian conservation.

They will be doing this via an ethnographic exploration of conservation spaces, which will include interviews with practitioners and observation of their work especially in the field. The case study focus of this project is yet to be decided, which the student will be allowed to explore. This will also provide an opportunity for the prospective student to drive the project in a direction that aligns with their specific interests. We also envision this project to be action-based where the case study focus is determined by the ongoing environmental issues that may need research interventions. This work also requires understanding the context of colonial and current environmental policy in India which will be done via archival ethnographic research.

Contemporary conservation policies in India are situated in colonial environmental law and legal systems that were put into place by the Empire. Understanding these policies as well as Indian environmental history is imperative to grasp how modern environmental conservation practices reproduce the same knowledge without critically questioning its production. Scholarship on othering using forest policies in India (Guha, 1983; Jewitt, 1995), building on Said’s work of Orientalism, captures the way the British Empire has used the idea of ‘scientific forestry’ to delegitimize local land rights. These same policies were adopted by a post-independence administration and continued the othering of their own people, illustrated by the Forest Act 1954 and subsequent policies up to this day. These administrative frameworks, tools like census and surveys have been used to exercise power, not just in the colonial state but also in current-day India (Hazen and Harris, 2006).

The first six months of the project will include exploration of various case studies in India to select an appropriate site based on the candidates' own interests and where research inputs may be appropriate and timely. We expect the candidate to also familiarise themself with the literature on decolonial geography during this period. The archival ethnography will be started in the next six months to build a stronger historical context of the chosen site. The second year of the project will start with the exploration of practices looking at the field site, conducting interviews and discussions with appropriate stakeholders.

We hope this work feeds into decolonial scholarship which questions the purpose of conservation practices. We want to encourage the rethinking of the conservation canon which has led to ineffective solutions at best and epistemic violence at worst. We also hope this work will feed into the literature of countermapping practices which shows alternative ways in which geographical knowledge and data can be utilised for more equitable conservation outcomes.

This 3.5yr PhD project is a competition jointly funded by The James Hutton Institute and the University of Edinburgh.  The supervisory team consists of  Dr Annabel Pinker and Dr Naomi Beingessner of the James Hutton Institute and Dr Hannah Fitzpatrick of the University of Edinburgh. This opportunity is open to UK students and will provide funding to cover a stipend and UK level tuition.  International students may apply, but must fund the difference in fee levels between UK level tuition and international tuition fees.  Students must meet the eligibility criteria as outlined in the UKRI guidance on UK and international candidates.  Applicants will have a first-class honours degree in a relevant subject or a 2.1 honours degree plus Masters (or equivalent).