Co-existence and cultural difference: postcolonial ecology in the contemporary Pacific

Abstract

The causes, symptoms and remedies of environmental disharmony in the contemporary Pacific are modern phenomena and need to be understood in their cultural context. This context is problematic for the integrity of the indigenous cultures of the Pacific and the prospect of ecological sustainability as a condition of culture. Modern dualistic and individualistic rationalities underpin environmental research and practice, which contribute to neo-colonialism through the subversion of the world views of indigenous peoples as part of conservation management. Such neo-colonialism is extended to the rest of nature where ecological salvation is delivered only if these environments and local people comply with modern environmental goals. A transformation in environmental research and practice is advocated where ethnographic analyses of modern institutions are subject to critical scrutiny in a socially and culturally enriched praxis of cultural ecology.