Discourse Analysis Exposure to my graduate students of Human and Natural Resource Studies at Kathmandu University: A category utterly lacking in all environmental academic programs of Nepal but one is that is utterly necessary and contemporaneous!

1. SUSHANT ACHARYAAND OJESWEE PANDE
Team IV
13 Sept. 2011

2. PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Discourse, Discourse Analysis and Discourse Theory
Environment and Development Discourse (EDD)
Review of EDD Cases
HDT Discourse Analysis
Biodiversity, Conservation and Development
Development as Symbolic Violence
Ethno Political Ecology of Social Exclusion
Environment as a Emerging Dev. Discourse
Critique of Sustainable Development
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3. Discourse
Michel Foucault (1963-1971): a way in which human
sciences perceive world
Understood as a form of knowledge, universal type of
social action
Conditions are put for a statement to be interpreted as
meaningful and rational
Ernesto and Mouffe: a system of signs which are
allocated meaning through articulation.
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4. Discourse cont’d
Ideological in nature, appear as objectivity and
conceal alternative realities
Norman Fairclough: communicative act and a social
practice
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5. Discourse: Archive and Archeology
Foucault introduced the concepts of
Archives:
knowledge horizon is determined historically
framework for how ideas are produced and
sustained
how knowledge is accepted or not
Archaeology:
various forms of knowledge that we possess
limitations and possibilities, exist for creating
knowledge and generating ideas.
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6. Discourse Analysis
Study of rationality and it’s expression in a particular
historical context
How human science relates to reality in a specific
historical manner
How knowledge and production of knowledge have
changed over time
Used to establish a general theory of discourse
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7. Discourse Analysis cont’d
Approaches: Discourse analytical , theoretical and
critical
Emphasize the connection between discourse and
power
Differ in how they attach a concept of discourse to
other concepts such as: knowledge, ideology, ideas
and truth
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8. Discourse Theory
Theory that aims at a universal theory of discourses
“Sees all social phenomena as discursive
constructions, and assumes that social phenomena can
be studied by discourse analysis”
Ernesto and Mouffe advanced discourse theory by
deconstruction of other theory
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9. Environment and Development Discourse (EDD)
Economic growth/Modernization theories: enhance
economic growth, efficient production, political stability
Radical development theories: modes of production,
production relations and class structures
World system theory: unequal exchange between center
and periphery in sharing resources and decline of bio-
diversity
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10. EDD cont’d
BUT indifferent towards the environmental costs of
economic production or ecological damages caused
by capitalist production and industrial expansion
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11. EDD cont’d
Sustainable Development Model  Our Common Future
Brundtland (1987)
Emphasizes relative/quality of growth
Satisfy essential needs
Ensure sustainable level of population
Conserve and enhance resource base
Reorient technology
Merge environment with economics
Restructure international economic relations
Make development more participatory
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12. Shift in Development Discourse
Biosphere Conference in Paris ( UNICEF, 1968)
UN Conference on the Human Environment
(Stockholm, 1972): integrated development, rational
planning, UNEP
Vienna Convention-Ozone layer protection (1985)
Ottawa Conference on Conservation and
Development (IUCN, 1986): Satisfaction of basic
needs, social justice, ecological integrity
Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the
ozone layer (1987)
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13. Shift in DD cont’d
Earth Summit (UNCED, 1992): UNFCCC and CBD
Non binding agreements
Rio declaration regarding SD
Agenda 21 (financial, technological and
institutional measures)
Principles of Forest Management
Convention to Combat Desertification (1994)
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14. Shift in DD cont’d
The Kyoto Protocol (1997):
establishment of ministry of environment
Creation of environment protection agencies
The global and national institution have
advocated SD based on environment principles.
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15. Reviewing Cases: Theory of Himalayan
Environment Degradation
Julie Guthman  Theory as Discourse
Producing knowledge and
Producing interventions
Production of environmental interventions
intimately connected to production of knowledge
Both are fundamentally bound up with power
relations
The facts about the Himalayan Crisis were socially
constructed
Those who are in power claim as facts
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16. Case One cont’d
Construction and Deconstruction of HED
Knowledge is produced in both cases and reproduced
in multiple and complicated ways
Knowledge to support or dismantle these discourses
not only socially embedded, but connected with
power relations
The theory has transcended issues of SCIENCE
properly and entered into the realm of political and
economic discourse
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17. Case Two: Bio-diversity, Conservation and
Development in Nepal’s Terai
Katrina Brown (1998): Political Ecology Framework:
Makes inquiry on:
contextual sources of environmental change
conflict over access to resources
political ramifications of environmental change
Malthusian and Neo Malthusian theory: given
stress on population. Separate people and bio-
diversity
BNP excludes people to inhibit inside the park.
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18. Case Two cont’d
Park authorities separated the people from utilizing
forest products: thatch grass, building materials, ropes
Promotion of tourism
Stakeholders widened: local people, park authorities,
tourism entrepreneurs. I/NGOs
Policy options/solutions: “buffer zone” new
conservation paradigm
Conservation and development as synergistic approach
Local communities has no influence in policy
formulation which influences their lives.
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19. Case Three: Development as Symbolic Violence?
The case of Community Forestry
Dr. Ojha (2006): Democratic and equitable governance in
Community Forestry.
Four habitus are key actors:
Development habitus
Technocentric habitus
Feudal-political habitus
Fatalistic habitus
First three exercise symbolic violence over the last one
CF practice determined by fatalistic habitus of the local
people and technocratic habitus of the forest officials
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20. Case Three cont’d…
Symbolic violence:
Development habitus:
Global: HDT to basic needs, “livelihoods” and “forestry”
donors projects and NGOs
Local: Forestry in latter priority, privileged groups are
getting benefits
Techno-centric habitus: maximize products, elites
interests, technical knowledge mismatched with local
people needs and interests
Feudal-political habitus: guided by political will rather
than public
In some context, dominated know the symbolic violence
from dominant but they are compelled to obey the
conditions imposed by dominants.
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21. Case Four: Political Ecology of Social Exclusion:
CF case in Nepal
Nirmal Kumar B.K.: Ph. D. fellow at KU
Exclusion from CF related structure and process
could be perceived as the social exclusion.
CF process: formal institutions:
Decision making process
Benefit sharing process
Distribution of opportunities
Informal institutions:
Caste relations
Gender relations
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22. Case Four cont’d
CF Structure:
memberships
decision making body
key posts
Forest management discourse as knowledge:
State to people: Chairman forestry, Committee
forestry, Community forestry to inclusive forestry
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23. Environment as Present Development Discourse
Environment protection as global issue
Climate change as cross cutting in nature
Present focus towards climate resilient
development
Debate and discussions over green economics
Changing environmental policies
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24. Critique over Sustainable Development Model
SD is constrained by continuity for economic growth
that often causes harm to environment
Consumption centered development: excessive
consumption of resources
Indifferent towards the cultural and normative
dimension of development
Less attention towards structures of interclass and
international inequalities
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25. Critique over Sustainable Development Model
Does not addresses the implications of internal and
international power structures for the implementation
of international agreements, laws and regulations
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26. Comments, Compliments and Suggestions
Thank You!
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