The Roles of Academics in Environmental Struggles Along the Mekong: Engaged Scholarship Under Political Restriction

Global environmental activism has been growing significantly over the last century. Both the practices of global environmental activism and the theoretical inquiries informing them have seen simultaneous developments that have helped global environmental activist movements mature and set or update their objectives. These objectives encompass a wide range, including anti-nuclear, anti-pollution, and antiwar struggles in the mid-to-late 20th century, and a recent focus on climate change and environmental sustainability. The objectives of global environmental movements are diverse, complex, and informed by location and the positionality of the actors involved; they both build on historical emphases and create new goals in response to new developments. The sources included here demonstrate that global environmental activism and environmental justice are related frameworks that cannot be researched individually without the other. Global environmental activism does more than merely bring attention to global environmental struggles, it intends to solve tangible societal problems caused by those environmental struggles. The foci and practices of environmental struggles differ around the world and between different communities in the same nation-states. Experiences of environmental action urgency vary between locations and economic positions, most notably between those in the Global South and the Global North. Indigenous populations across the globe have faced environmental struggles since the start of colonization and the theft and colonial exploitation of their natural resources. Research into global environmental activism includes sources on key concepts and philosophies, forms of protest by and solidarity with globally exploited populations, global and local environmental justice movements, and coalition building between underprivileged groups such as workers, people of color, and Indigenous peoples. By examining different dimensions of global environmental activism, this research can help activists streamline their goals and consider the complex contexts and unequal relationships that must be recognized when promoting solutions to environmental struggles. Furthermore, this research can help governments and administrators understand the need for (local) environmental activism and policymaking to solve globally interconnected environmental struggles.

Based on an ethnographic field investigation conducted on the matrilineal–matrilocal Garo community of Bangladesh, this article provides a historical account of local environmental struggles to draw attention to the interconnections between gender, environment and sustainable resource management. From a feminist political ecology perspective, the article argues that interacting with traditional culture, forest ecology and changing processes of centric resource governance, gender remains a salient variable in environmental issues. Local contexts of gender dynamics help configuring local people's mode of participation in environmental struggles as well as being the consequence of those struggles. Findings suggest that Garo women and men have sustained gender specific roles and interests through their struggles to ensure control over forest lands and tree resources. Furthermore, they have developed a class-based relationship with forest ecology which must be acknowledged in forest policies.

Book reviewed in this article:Environmental Issues: Bullard, Robert D. (ed.). Confronting Environmental Racism: Voices from the Grassroots.Environmental Issues: Szasz, Andrew. EcoPopulism: Toxic Waste and the Movement for Environmental Justice.Environmental Issues: Cernea, Michael M., and Scott E. Guggenheim (eds.).Environmental Issues: Gedicks, Al. The New Resource Wars: Native and Environmental Struggles Against Multinational Corporations.Community and Agricultural Issues: Andreas, Carol. Meatpackers and Beef Barons: Company Town in a Global Economy.Community and Agricultural Issues: Bell, Michael Mayerfeld. Childerley: Nature and Morality in a Country Village.Community and Agricultural Issues: Critchfield, Richard. The Villagers: Changed Values, Altered Lives, The Closing of the Urban‐Rural Gap.Community and Agricultural Issues: Bonanno, Alessandro, Lawrence Busch, William Friedland, Lourdes Gouveia, and Enzo Mingione (eds.).Community and Agricultural Issues: Walton, John. Western Times and Water Wars: State, Culture and Rebellion in California.Community and Agricultural Issues: Gasson, Ruth, and Andrew Errington. The Farm Family Business.Community and Agricultural Issues: Valle, Isabel. Fields of Toil: A Migrant Family's Journey.Community and Agricultural Issues: Lieber, Michael D. More Than a Living: Fishing and the Social Order on a Polynesian Atoll. Conflict and Social Change Series.Community and Agricultural Issues: Gist, Gladys Leffler. Chasing Rainbows.Life‐Cycle and Education Issues: Conger, Rand D., and Glen H. Elder Jr. (eds.).Life‐Cycle and Education Issues: Peterson, Steven A., and Robert J. Maiden. The Public Lives of Rural Older Americans.Life‐Cycle and Education Issues: Brown, Philip, and Hugh Lauder (eds.).

It is increasingly common to encounter headlines detailing China’s environmental woes and the social action that has appeared as a result. These headlines run side-by-side with stories of China’s continued economic growth and rise in global prominence. The fact that these two issues are connected is not lost on Chinese citizens or the Communist Party of China. The way these competing, though related, issues are addressed by state and society in China is of central concern to the country as well as to the global community. Though the topic of environmental degradation and social response has been previously explored by many academics in the context of China, the issue has gained a broader audience. The three books under review generally seek to reach this broader audience and to address key tensions in China’s environmental governance, providing insight into changes in state–society relations. There has been an opening of social space in China over the last twenty years, allowing for increased public activism related to environmental issues, at a scale unimaginable even thirty years ago. The nature of this space, however, and the political context in which it has emerged, are contentious. Judith Shapiro provides an overview of the broad spectrum of related issues involved in China’s Environmental Challenges, using a textbook format to introduce the key debates regarding environmental governance in China. Following her now seminal study Mao’s War Against Nature, Shapiro’s newest book draws on a historical view of environmental issues in the country; shifting

In India, the peasant mobilisations in 2020-2021 appeared as an echo of contemporary environmental struggles since the 1960s. The lead of these mobilisations taken by women has brought the gendered dimension of environmental and equality struggles in rural but also urban areas to the forefront.New Delhi as a capital is a major space of engagement for social and women’s movement. Since the 1970s, women and feminist organisations have been politicizing equality issues at both local and national levels. Although mobilisations in the cities enjoy a greater visibility, the space for women’s issues is made up of multiple movements that influence each other and sometimes aggregate.The visibility of women’s environmental struggles for equality in the last few years, led me to question the links between rural and urban women’s movements and the way environmental issues are addressed in these spaces.

Can limited government be a driving force of economic development? This idea goes back to Montesquieu, and is closely related to recent research in institutional economics. Measuring limited government with the Henisz political constraints index, and economic development with income per capita, the paper first does a causality test to see whether political constraints lead income per capita. Since both are persistent variables, their differences are analyzed. The evidence from the 1960-1990 period indeed suggests that increases in political constraints precede economic growth. The effect of political constraints might take a long time period to set in, so a second test looks at the link between income per capita and polity persistence, conditioned on the degree of political constraints. Polity persistence is positively linked to income per capita with high political constraints, but there is no link with low political constraints. This broader evidence suggests that limited government has been conducive to economic development over the long run.

Located in the heart of England's Lake District, the placid waters of Thirlmere seem to be the embodiment of pastoral beauty. But under their calm surface lurks the legacy of a nineteenth-century conflict that pitted industrial progress against natural conservation - and helped launch the environmental movement as we know it. Purchased by the city of Manchester in the 1870s, Thirlmere was dammed and converted into a reservoir, its water piped one hundred miles south to the burgeoning industrial city and its workforce. This feat of civil engineering - and of natural resource diversion - inspired one of the first environmental struggles of modern times. The Dawn of Green re-creates the battle for Thirlmere and the clashes between conservationists who wished to preserve the lake and developers eager to supply the needs of a growing urban population. Bringing to vivid life the colorful and strong-minded characters who populated both sides of the debate, noted historian Harriet Ritvo revisits notions of the natural promulgated by romantic poets, recreationists, resource managers, and industrial developers to establish Thirlmere as the template for subsequent - and continuing - environmental struggles.

The article investigates the growing convergence between the Catholic Church and environmentalism in Brazil, aiming to demonstrate – through an anthropological reading of the Fraternity Campaigns that address sustainability and environmental crisis issues – how the national episcopate has been striving to reinvent the theology of inculturation as a system that incorporates, among other elements, the “natural world” as well. The hypothesis is suggested that the Church has been producing a symbolic narrative that articulates the fundamental elements of its theological conception of Creation with the set of social representations we know as ecology. This ecotheological narrative promotes a new perspective for interpreting biblical texts, seeking to recreate the relationships between Christianity and “nature” by projecting the origins of a certain Catholic environmental activism into a distant past. Despite being marked by anthropocentric categories, this new apostolic narrative seeks to assert, in favor of the Catholic Church and its pastoral work, a prominent position in the public sphere among the other relevant agents and institutions involved in present-day environmental struggles.

How have Thailand’s environmental politics changed across the last five decades? How have they remained the same? What role do environmental movements in Thailand play in the country’s current moment of extended military-led rule and global environmental change? This article addresses these questions by presenting a critical genealogy of Thailand’s environmental politics. It begins with a larger framing of environmental movements within the context of Thai history and then traces these struggles through to the twenty-first century. Rather than argue that environmental politics are distinct from other forms of politics, we contend that environmental struggles should be understood as unfolding within and shaping Thailand’s changing social, economic, and political landscape. Although Thailand’s environmental movements have opened new pathways towards more just politics, they have also re-entrenched old political orders and, at times, deepened political divisions. By attending to these complex effects, this article highlights the ambiguous relationship between environmental politics and pro-democracy mobilisation. Rather than assume that environmental activism is inherently progressive, it demonstrates how Thailand’s environmental politics are complex, neither linear nor determined in their relationship with democracy.

BackgroundADRD is a major public health concern in Puerto Rico (PR) due, in part, to a rapidly aging population with high cardiovascular risk and admixed genetics. Although ADRD research has been slowly growing, systemic barriers, such as mass migration of scientists and socioeconomic inequalities, make research efforts increasingly difficult in the island. Compared to other Hispanic/Latinos in U.S. mainland, Puerto Rican Hispanic/Latinos in the territory remain less represented in ADRD research. Therefore, we held the first “Puerto Rico Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Research Symposium” in February 2023 with the aims of 1) enhancing knowledge, skills, and intellectual support for ADRD researchers, and 2) developing a blueprint for ADRD research policy.MethodApproximately 120 participants attended the 2‐day symposium in Ponce, PR. We held sessions showcasing local ADRD research, plenary sessions covering topics on grant and manuscript writing skills, building collaborations, applying research for advocacy, and the role of academia in ADRD research. In facilitated group discussions, participants identified challenges to advancing brain health research in PR in terms of goals, investigator support, dissemination, and public policy, as well as potential solutions. Emerging themes and next steps were considered during a plenary discussion at the end of symposium.ResultAcademic‐institutional barriers (e.g., lack of full‐time positions, career development opportunities, and mentoring) were identified as major challenges to research production in PR. Investigator‐level barriers identified were lack of research tools, skills and strategies, information on funding opportunities, and connections with potential collaborators. Policy‐level barriers identified were inadequate access to existing ADRD data sources, reduced monetary resources for infrastructure and human capital, and shifting priorities with changes in government.ConclusionAs ongoing goal, participants resolved to build the “Puerto Rico ADRD Research Consortium,” to address identified needs and challenges. ADRD public health efforts should be geared towards promoting a research culture: reducing the “brain drain,” creating and leveraging existing data sources, increasing ADRD research education and advocacy, and fostering partnerships among ADRD stakeholders to maintain a pipeline of innovative research. This research culture will potentially lead to advancing transformative brain health equity initiatives in PR.

As educational opportunities, particularly prison education programs, continue to expand for incarcerated individuals, this study, which included two participants, one formerly incarcerated and one who pleaded guilty to avoid incarceration, suggests that those who plead guilty to avoid prison may enter college without the structured reintegration resources available to their incarcerated peers. While substantial research has explored the school-to-prison pipeline phenomenon in K-12 settings, fewer studies have examined its impact on students with criminal records navigating higher education. Grounded in Critical Race Theory (CRT) in education, this study seeks to understand the experiences of carceral system-impacted students of color in college, focusing on their sense of community and how they perceive and make sense of their identity. Data collection involved semi-structured qualitative interviews. I employed counterstorytelling to understand how system-impacted students navigate systemic barriers in their academic journeys. Overall, there were three themes: (1) institutional barriers and exclusion, (2) resilience and resistance to deficit narratives, and (3) the importance of community support and networks. Thus, rather than being defined by their criminal records, these system-impacted students actively reshape their roles in academia by leveraging their lived experiences to challenge institutions and advocate for systemic change. The conclusions drawn from this can inform recommendations for university faculty and policy stakeholders that serve as gatekeepers for students with criminal records.

Before the potential of wind energy can be realized, large-scale commercialization will have to occur. Standing in the way of commercial development are various institutional and legal barriers. These include (1) possible conflicts with existing zoning and other land-use planning schemes, (2) the question of guaranteeing access to the wind, (3) possible tort and environmental law issues raised by WECS operation, and (4) the critical problem of creating financial incentives. The implications of each of these issues and solutions where practicable are presented.

By 2006, women constituted 34% of academic medical faculty, reaching a critical mass. Theoretically, with critical mass, culture and policy supportive of gender equity should be evident. We explore whether having a critical mass of women transforms institutional culture and organizational change. Career development program participants were interviewed to elucidate their experiences in academic health centers (AHCs). Focus group discussions were held with institutional leaders to explore their perceptions about contemporary challenges related to gender and leadership. Content analysis of both data sources revealed points of convergence. Findings were interpreted using the theory of critical mass. Two nested domains emerged: the individual domain included the rewards and personal satisfaction of meaningful work, personal agency, tensions between cultural expectations of family and academic roles, and women's efforts to work for gender equity. The institutional domain depicted the sociocultural environment of AHCs that shaped women's experience, both personally and professionally, lack of institutional strategies to engage women in organizational initiatives, and the influence of one leader on women's ascent to leadership. The predominant evidence from this research demonstrates that the institutional barriers and sociocultural environment continue to be formidable obstacles confronting women, stalling the transformational effects expected from achieving a critical mass of women faculty. We conclude that the promise of critical mass as a turning point for women should be abandoned in favor of "critical actor" leaders, both women and men, who individually and collectively have the commitment and power to create gender-equitable cultures in AHCs.

This edited book, by Rosalina Díaz, represents a radical form of ethnography, as it presents the voices of academic scholars and scientists side by side with those of grassroots activists, native healers and community herbalists, in addressing issues of cultural and indigenous identity, agroecology, sustainability and self-determination in the Greater Antillean region of the Caribbean. "In Decolonizing Paradise, Rosalina Díaz blends the voices of scientists with local healers and activists to explore a radical ethnography of plants and people in the Caribbean. Through their lived experiences in this crucially important bioregion, herbalists, brujas, and western-trained scientists resurrect and reveal indigenous and diasporic plant wisdom that has long been denigrated. This collection is an important ethnobotanical starting point for the colonized people of the Caribbean to redress centuries of cultural and environmental injustice." —Robert Voeks, Author of The Ethnobotany of Eden: Rethinking the Jungle Medicine Narrative "At a time when the world is intensely focused on finding solutions to complex and existential environmental issues, Decolonizing Paradise is an indispensable tool for those wanting to engage in collective action in the Caribbean. This timely anthology of scholars, scientists, farmers, grassroots activists and environmentalists provides both historical context and an agenda for the sustainable environmental future of the region, with a particular emphasis on Puerto Rico. Decolonizing Paradise will quickly become essential reading for those interested in the Caribbean’s environmental struggles, particularly as understood and analyzed by those who are currently in the trenches. Decolonizing Paradise also provides hope and inspiration for all those—students, policy makers, activists and scholars—who want to see change happen in the Caribbean." —Felix V Matos Rodriguez, Chancellor of the City University of New York (CUNY), Author of Women and Urban Change in San Juan, Puerto Rico, 1820–1868 "Decolonizing Paradise is a must-read primer for anyone interested in an insider perspective of environmental stewardship in the Caribbean region, as told by the voices of those currently active in the movement. In recognizing the long-standing environmental conflicts, clashes and actions of local activists and community groups, this book rectifies historical omissions and misperceptions, and challenges the still prevailing narrative of inaction and dependence that has wrongly stigmatized this population for centuries." —Alexis Massol-Gonzalez, Founding Director of Casa Pueblo of Adjuntas; Recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize (2002)

Most of us are well aware of the environmental crisis of our day. Yet, scholars of religion or peace studies rarely consider en­vironmental issues when theorizing about violence. Why think about religion when we ponder environmental degradation? Religion provides a framework by which we can understand a group’s relationship to non-human nature and to actions on behalf of the environment. As is the case with human-to-human violence, religious ideology may also either encourage or discourage assaults on the environment. Taking religious traditions and actors into account, deepens our understanding of the contemporary environmental crisis and environmental struggles and movements, as is argued in this article.