1143 | Culture, Ecology, Politics.

The finitude and condition of endangerment of ‘nature’ and its use as ‘resource’ arise from cultural and political interpretations of what ‘nature’ is and to what end it must be engaged by humans. Natures are social in some ways. Each nature-related social idea and strategy arises from a vast array of social institutions, cultural scripts and political conditions. This course demonstrates such ideas and strategies about ‘nature’. Further, how is ‘environment’ perceived, managed, negotiated and exploited in the complex structures of global politics and resource distribution? This course engages this question in the academic and practice registers which envision diverse routes to sustainable futures. In such envisioning, we traverse, in this course, an array of complex socio-environmental and political challenges, ranging from rapid urbanization, natural disasters, loss of commons, unfettered economic growth, threats to public health. This course draws from a variety of disciplinary scholarships – especially political ecology, sociology, anthropology, environmental history, environmental law and policy.