In the Name of the Tiger: Narrative Analysis on Conservation and Indigenous Forest Rights in India

Simple item page
dc.contributorDoug, Amy
dc.contributorFarnham, Timothy
dc.contributor.advisorCorson, Catherine
dc.contributor.authorRice, Melissa Woytek
dc.date.accessioned2012-05-16T14:14:49Z
dc.date.available2012-05-16T14:14:49Z
dc.date.gradyear2012en_US
dc.date.issued2012-05-16
dc.description.abstractIndia’s forests are home to half of the world’s tiger population and to millions of people. While conservationists clamor for reserves for the endangered Bengal tiger, forest people oppose any attempts to displace them from their homes. Most of these people identify as “indigenous” and rely on forest resources for their livelihood. For 200 years, the Indian state has tried to prevent them from accessing forests, claiming they degrade ecosystems and threaten wildlife. In contrast, indigenous activists and their allies in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) claim that indigenous people are the legitimate protectors of tigers who have been dispossessed by a corrupt state. The Forest Rights Act of 2006 recognized, for the first time, the rights of forest dwellers. It allows indigenous people to claim communal and individual rights to farm, graze animals, and harvest non-timber resources in government-owned forests. But the Forest Rights Act has been implemented unevenly and is frequently violated, especially in tiger reserves. Government officials continue to harass indigenous people and evict them, treating tigers as a uniquely endangered species whose protection precludes the rights guaranteed to people under the Forest Rights Act. Most decisions about resource control depend on what narratives officials believe are true. Narratives provide simplified accounts of complex environmental interactions. They unfold in storybook form, with a beginning, a central problem, and a suggested solution. In India, where the national government operates in English and Hindi, the stories that English-language popular media and NGOs publish about tiger conservation influence how policy makers implement laws. I will present an analysis of narratives in 50 samples from newspapers, magazines, NGOs and indigenous people’s organizations, specifically focusing on: What stories are people telling about tiger conservation and indigenous people? How do these stories explain tiger decline? How do they describe indigenous people? I will also discuss the implications of these narratives and how they fit into the political context of tiger conservation.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipEnvironmental Studiesen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10166/1011
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.rights.restrictedpublic
dc.subjectconservationen_US
dc.subjectindigenous peopleen_US
dc.subjectforesten_US
dc.subjecttigeren_US
dc.subjectcommunity forestryen_US
dc.subjectnarrativeen_US
dc.subjectindigenousen_US
dc.subjectresource rightsen_US
dc.subjectrightsen_US
dc.subjectForest Rights Acten_US
dc.subjecttiger conservationen_US
dc.subjectindigenous rightsen_US
dc.subjectnarrative analysisen_US
dc.titleIn the Name of the Tiger: Narrative Analysis on Conservation and Indigenous Forest Rights in Indiaen_US
dc.typeThesis
mhc.degreeUndergraduateen_US
mhc.institutionMount Holyoke College

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
MRice Thesis.pdf
Size:
314.78 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Full thesis
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.9 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

Student Theses and Honors Collection