Saving African Nature

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An Ecological Mission and the Violence of History

Häftad, Engelska, 2026

329 kr

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During the colonization of Africa, European colonists set about creating game reserves in Africa, convinced that they would find in Africa a nature that no longer existed in Europe. After independence, and with the help of UNESCO and the WWF, African leaders continued to 'protect' the same nature, a nature that the whole world wanted to be pristine, wild and without humans – a timeless Garden of Eden. The consequences of this story are well known: millions of Africans were expelled from the land on which they had lived for generations in Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and many other African countries.But how did this happen? Who organized this continuity between the colonial era and the era of independence? Guillaume Blanc answers these questions by immersing himself at the heart of a strange global ecological mission, launched in 1961: the 'African Special Project'. He tells the story of this project, but rather than following a single narrative thread, he brings to life four worlds: the world of gentlemen experts who saw Africa as the world's last natural refuge; the world of East African colonists who were retraining as international experts; the world of African leaders who sought to control their peoples while satisfying the demands of their Western partners; and finally, the world of local farmers and their families living on the land who were forced to adapt or abandon their homes. These men do not speak of the same nature, but step by step, their worlds draw closer together until they meet – and this is where violence erupts.This well-researched book lays bare the violence inherent in the creation of African game reserves and national parks and documents a hidden dimension of colonialism and its legacies. It will be of great interest to students and scholars in environmental history, political ecology and postcolonial studies, as well as to anyone interested in African nature and wildlife and the game parks that are visited every year by millions.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2026-05-29
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor304
Upplaga26001
FörlagPolity Press
ISBN9781509568697
ÖversättareMorrison, Helen

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Introduction. Violence in a natural world: from why to howIn the light of the presentSeizing the momentMaking choicesA gallery of institutionsA gallery of actorsChapter 1. Protecting Africa from the Africans. The world of the expert gentlemenArusha 1961. Changing everything in order to keep everything the sameFrom imperialism to internationalism. HistoryThe rise of a conservationist 'International'How to conserve: globalize on the one hand, Africanize on the otherProtect the planet, take action in AfricaThe experts' (a)political questFaces and people of AfricaChapter 2. Saving the East-African stronghold. The world of those who stayedArusha 1961. Working in a liberated AfricaBeing part of the transition to independence. HistoryThe East-African InternationalIn the name of the last stronghold of natureWith the 'Africans', against the 'Africans'An impossible dreamA nightmareChapter 3. Governing Ethiopia. The world-nation of African leadersArusha 1961. Protecting nature, playing politicsThe natural extraversion of the African State. HistoryCurrent status: applicant for aidAccepting dependenceEthiopia firstCursed farenj'Chapter 4. Living in a National ParkThe global village of the anonymousArusha 1961, nature for some, a way of life for OthersIn search of subalterns. HistoryTekelakay, or how to resistMengest, the local big manSerateña, invisible employeeDehaw: the poor manYemiyastekaklew, the resourceful oneEpilogue. A little nature, (far) too much humanity When the postcolonial moment endedWhen the time of an enduring postcolony beganAcknowledgementsAcronymsBibliographyNotesIndex

"Guillaume Blanc offers a comprehensive micro-history of African environmentalism, giving a voice to each of the actors involved… In this he succeeds: his approach provides a better understanding of the politics of nature in Africa and helps us to make sense of what this postcolonial moment is all about."L'Histoire"Guillaume Blanc shows how African nature has been and remains the subject of a myth, that of a universal and timeless Eden – a myth that has been reinforced by colonization, expulsion and exclusion."Ballast