Overview
A major challenge in studies of environmental governance is dealing with the diversity of the people involved at multiple levels -- villagers, development agents, policy-makers, private resource users and others -- and taking seriously their aspirations, conflicts and collaborations. This book examines this challenge in two very disparate parts of our world, exploring what gender-equality, resource management and development mean in real terms for its inhabitants as well as for our environmental futures. Based on participatory research and in-depth fieldwork, Arora-Jonsson studies struggles for local forest management, the making of women's groups within them and how the women's groups became a threat to mainstream institutions. Insights from India, consistently ranked as one of the most gender-biased countries, are compared with similar situations in the ostensibly gender-equal Sweden. Arora-Jonsson also analyzes how dominant ideas about the environment, development and gender equality shape the spaces in which women and men take action through global discourses and grassroots activism. Questioning the conventional belief that development brings about greater gender equality and more efficient environmental management, this volume scrutinizes how environmental imaginations are key to crafting gender relations. It shows gender to be at the heart of environmental negotiations while at the same time making a case for environmental sensibilities as integral to gender relations. At the confluence of development, environmental and gender studies, the book contributes to a much-needed dialogue between these fields, proposing new futures in environmental management.
Full Product Details
Author: Seema Arora-Jonsson (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden)
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint: Routledge
Volume: 33
Weight: 0.690kg
ISBN: 9780415890373
ISBN 10: 0415890373
Pages: 286
Publication Date: 08 August 2012
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
,
Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
'Telling, arguing, and analysing throughout this rich and original work, Seema Arora-Jonsson makes a strong theoretical case for gender as integral to our analyses in order to be able to meet environmental and developmental challenges '- Lars Rudebeck, Uppsala University, Development in Practice Gender, Development and Environmental Governance is indeed an enlightening work in more ways than one. Especially admirable is the elan with which Arora-Jonsson pulls off a seemingly unsustainable project-comparing a highly developed and a developing society... Gender, Development and Environmental Governance is a valuable contribution to the corpus of the theoretical literature on gender and environmental studies and a must read for all gender and environment scholars. - Etee Bahadur, Journal of South Asian Development The most significant contribution on of this book is its unconventional examination of daily life and informal networks, filtered through a gendered analysis... This is a great effort in undoing the sometimes artificial divide between the North and South. Because of its strengths in analyzing gender dynamics and its comparative nature, this book will be extremely interesting to those interested in issues of environmental governance, development, and gender. - Meenakshi Narayan, Michigan State University, Gendered Perspectives on International Development
"'Telling, arguing, and analysing throughout this rich and original work, Seema Arora-Jonsson makes a strong theoretical case “for gender as integral to our analyses in order to be able to meet environmental and developmental challenges”'— Lars Rudebeck, Uppsala University, Development in Practice ""Gender, Development and Environmental Governance is indeed an enlightening work in more ways than one. Especially admirable is the élan with which Arora-Jonsson pulls off a seemingly unsustainable project—comparing a highly developed and a developing society... Gender, Development and Environmental Governance is a valuable contribution to the corpus of the theoretical literature on gender and environmental studies and a must read for all gender and environment scholars.""— Etee Bahadur, Journal of South Asian Development ""The most significant contribution on of this book is its unconventional examination of daily life and informal networks, filtered through a gendered analysis... This is a great effort in undoing the sometimes artificial divide between the North and South. Because of its strengths in analyzing gender dynamics and its comparative nature, this book will be extremely interesting to those interested in issues of environmental governance, development, and gender.""— Meenakshi Narayan, Michigan State University, Gendered Perspectives on International Development"
With a sizzling intelligence and a passionate commitment to justice Seema Arora-Jonsson uses empirically rich case studies from forest villages in India and Sweden to challenge taken-for-granted understandings of gender, environment and governance and their intersections. This beautifully written and deeply insightful book is a definite must-read for anyone concerned about these issues. -Louise Fortmann, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, and Rudy Grah Chair in Forestry and Sustainable Development, University of California, Berkeley In Gender, Development, and Environmental Governance, Seema Arora-Johnson weaves together insights from field experiences and scholarly writings to provide a compelling account of how women can simultaneously be disadvantaged by, contest, and change development and governance outcomes. This book should be required reading for development professionals and decision makers, and anyone interested in gender and development. -Arun Agrawal, Professor at the School of Natural Resources & Environment, University of Michigan With striking precision Arora-Jonsson explores the gendered practices of development in forest communities in India and Sweden. She listens to the subtle messages of village life and leads her readers into social theory. Arora-Jonsson's creative language keeps the reader in steady excitement. This book will be much welcomed in gender studies as well as in broader fields of environmental governance and local development. - Erik Westholm, Professor, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
With a sizzling intelligence and a passionate commitment to justice Seema Arora-Jonsson uses empirically rich case studies from forest villages in India and Sweden to challenge taken-for-granted understandings of gender, environment and governance and their intersections. This beautifully written and deeply insightful book is a definite must-read for anyone concerned about these issues. -Louise Fortmann, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, and Rudy Grah Chair in Forestry and Sustainable Development, University of California, Berkeley In Gender, Development, and Environmental Governance, Seema Arora-Jonsson weaves together insights from field experiences and scholarly writings to provide a compelling account of how women can simultaneously be disadvantaged by, contest, and change development and governance outcomes. This book should be required reading for development professionals and decision makers, and anyone interested in gender and development. -Arun Agrawal, Professor at the School of Natural Resources & Environment, University of Michigan With striking precision Arora-Jonsson explores the gendered practices of development in forest communities in India and Sweden. She listens to the subtle messages of village life and leads her readers into social theory. Arora-Jonsson's creative language keeps the reader in steady excitement. This book will be much welcomed in gender studies as well as in broader fields of environmental governance and local development. - Erik Westholm, Professor, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences The book is rich in detailed qualitative data, collected and reflected upon over almost 20 years... The chapters can be read sperately as they all include a contextualization of the topics to be discussed and a conclusion. This format makes it esepcially adaptable as teaching material. - Maria E. Fernandez, Agriculture and Human Values
Author Information
Seema Arora-Jonsson is Assistant Professor in the Department of Rural and Urban Development at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
