African Studies: Environment

Abstract

Environmental issues and discourses figure prominently in current social science research in Africa. During the 1980s and 1990s interdisciplinary research programs on land use and environmental change in Sub-Saharan Africa increased considerably, and social scientists assumed key roles in these efforts. This entry explores different social science paradigms for examining environmental issues in Africa, the environmental effects of varied development efforts, and the social processes that drive environmental change in Africa. It focuses on critical themes, such as resource conflict, the history of conservation in East Africa, and indigenous knowledge, as well as the ways in which Africanist social scientists have addressed these. In reviewing recent research findings, the article also queries orthodox assumptions about the relationship between pastoral population growth and environmental change; the role of the state in land use and conservation; and the capacity of local institutions to regulate resource use. It concludes with a discussion of future directions in social science research on environment and land use in Africa.