Brian Burke | Appalachian State University (original) (raw)

Papers by Brian Burke

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Practicing Anthropology, 2007

Despite compelling reasons to involve nonscientists in the production of ecological knowledge, cu... more Despite compelling reasons to involve nonscientists in the production of ecological knowledge, cultural and institutional factors often dis-incentivize engagement between scientists and nonscientists. This paper details our efforts to develop a biweekly newspaper column to increase communication between ecological scientists, social scientists, and the communities within which they work. Addressing community-generated topics and written by a collective of social and natural scientists, the column is meant to foster public dialog about socio-environmental issues and to lay the groundwork for the coproduction of environmental knowledge. Our collective approach to writing addresses some major barriers to public engagement by scientists, but the need to insert ourselves as intermediaries limits these gains. Overall, our efforts at environmental communication praxis have not generated significant public debate, but they have supported future coproduction by making scientists a more visible presence in the community and providing easy pathways for them to begin engaging the public. Finally, this research highlights an underappreciated barrier to public engagement: scientists are not merely disconnected from the public, but also connected in ways that may be functional for their research. Many field scientists, for example, seek out neutral and narrowly defined connections that permit research access but are largely incompatible with efforts to address controversial issues of environmental governance.

Cooperatives have been widely supported as vehicles for community-based conservation and developm... more Cooperatives have been widely supported as vehicles for community-based conservation and development. However, these organizations are often developed around specific income-generating projects rather than broader considerations of how relations of power and ecological exploitation might be transformed. This article uses the case of AmazonCoop—a cooperative dedicated to the supposedly fair trade of Brazil nuts between Amazonian indigenous people and the multinational corporation The Body Shop—to illustrate how historical political ecology might facilitate the design of more radically transformative cooperatives. Contextualizing AmazonCoop within the history of Amazonian extractivism, and particularly the extraction of wild rubber, reveals the specific mechanisms and processes through which indigenous people have gained and lost power. This analysis thus creates opportunities for thinking more creatively about how contemporary conservation–development schemes might pursue ecologically sustainable and socially just social transformations.

Les coopératives ont été largement pris en charge en raison de leur contribution à la conservation communautaire et le développement. Ces organisations sont souvent organisés autour de projets spécifiques pour générer des revenus. Ils sont moins préoccupés par des considérations plus larges de la façon dont les relations de pouvoir et de l'exploitation écologique pourrait être transformé. Cet article utilise le cas de AmazonCoop—une coopérative dédiée à la commerce équitable des noix du Brésil entre les peuples autochtones d'Amazonie et de la société multinationale The Body Shop. Il illustrer comment l'écologie politique pourrait faciliter la conception des coopératives qui sont tranformative et radicale. Les articles situer AmazonCoop dans l'histoire de l'extractivisme amazonien, et en particulier l'extraction du caoutchouc sauvage. Il révèle les mécanismes et processus spécifiques à travers lesquels les peuples autochtones ont acquis et ont perdu le pouvoir. Cette analyse crée ainsi des opportunités pour penser de manière plus créative à propos des régimes contemporains conservation-développement, et comment ils pourraient poursuivre sur le plan écologique transformations durables et socialement juste de la société.

Las cooperativas han sido ampliamente utilizadas como vehículos para proyectos comunitarios de conservación y desarrollo. Sin embargo, estas organizaciones comunmente se desarrollan en torno a proyectos especiíicos para la generación de ingresos en lugar de consideraciones más amplias de cómo las relaciones de poder y la explotación ecológica pueden ser transformados. Este articulo utiliza el caso de AmazonCoop—una cooperativa dedicada a un comercio supuestamente justo de las nueces de Brasil entre los pueblos indígenas amazónicos y la multinacional The Body Shop—para ilustrar cómo la ecología política histórica podría facilitar el diseño de cooperativas mas radicalmente transformativas. Contextualizando AmazonCoop dentro del marco histórico del extractivismo amazónico, y en particular la extracción de caucho silvestre, revela los mecanismos y procesos específicos a través de los cuales los pueblos indígenas han ganado y perdido el poder. En consecuencia, este análisis crea oportunidades para pensar más creativamente sobre cómo esquemas contemporáneos de conservación y desarrollo podrían apuntar a transformaciones sociales que son ecológicamente sostenible y socialmente justo.

As the people of Southern Appalachia confront the challenges of climate change and exurban develo... more As the people of Southern Appalachia confront the challenges of climate change and exurban development, their foundational beliefs about the environment and human-environment relations will significantly shape the types of individual and collective action that they imagine and pursue. In this paper, we use critical discourse analysis of an influential small-town newspaper to understand how the environment is being represented publicly and consider how these representations might affect local environmental politics and efforts to mitigate or adapt to climate change and exurban sprawl. We find that the environment is generally represented as an amenity to be enjoyed rather than a subject of concern, that environmental degradation, when represented at all, is often discussed in vague or distancing terms, and that human agency is typically presented in individualizing, hyper-local terms rather than in collective, community-or national-scale ones. In conclusion, we suggest that these representational styles are likely very effective for inspiring interest in and connection to local landscapes, but they do not provide a strong basis for collective efforts to understand and address climate change and exurbanization.

The articles in this special section, by offering ethnographically grounded reflections on divers... more The articles in this special section, by offering ethnographically grounded reflections on diverse strains of economic activism, begin to articulate a non-capitalocentric political ecology that we think can help scholar-activists politicize, reimagine, and recreate socio-ecological relations. In this introductory article, we offer a useful vision of how scholar-activists can engage with and support more just and sustainable ways of organizing human–human and human–environment relations. Specifically, we argue that engaged researchers can significantly contribute to a meaningful "ecological revolution" by (1) examining the tremendously diverse, already-existing experiments with other ways of being in the world, (2) helping to develop alternative visions, analyses, narratives, and desires that can move people to desire and adopt those ways of being, and (3) actively supporting and constructing economies and ecologies with alternative ethical orientations. Each article in this collection attempts one or more of these goals, and this introductory article provides a conceptual grounding for these ethnographic studies and a synthesis of some of their primary contributions. We begin by describing why critique is analytically and politically inadequate and explain why we think a non-capitalocentric ontology offers an essential complement for engaged scholarship. We then turn to the work of J.K. Gibson-Graham and the Community Economies Collective in order to explain how ideas of overdetermination, diverse economies, and performativity better equip the field of political ecology to contribute to alternative futures. And finally, we discuss how the articles in this volume reconceptualize values, politics, and scale in a manner that illuminates our scholarly and activist efforts.

Les articles de cette section spéciale offrent des réflexions ethnographiques sur diverses souches de l'activisme économique. Ils commencent à articuler une écologie politique «non - capitalocentrique» que nous pensons peut aider universitaires militants politiser, réinventer, et de recréer les relations socio-écologiques. Dans cette introduction aux articles, nous vous offrons une vision utile de la façon des chercheurs-militants peuvent s'engager et soutenir les modes d'organisation des relations humaines-humain et humain-environnement plus justes et durables. Plus précisément, nous soutenons que les chercheurs engagés peuvent contribuer de manière significative à une «révolution écologique» significative par (1) l'examen des diverses expériences, déjà existants avec d'autres manières d'être dans le monde, (2) d'aider à développer des visions alternatives, analyses, récits, et les désirs qui peuvent se déplacer les gens à désirer et d'adopter ces manières d'être, et (3) de soutenir activement et de construire des économies et écologies des orientations éthiques alternatives. Chaque article de cette collection tente un ou plusieurs de ces objectifs, et cet article d'introduction fournit une base conceptuelle pour ces études ethnographiques et une synthèse de certains de leurs principales contributions. Nous commençons par décrire pourquoi la critique «seule» est analytiquement et politiquement inadéquate et expliquer pourquoi nous pensons une «ontologie non capitalocentrique» offre un complément essentiel pour l'érudition engagée. Nous passons ensuite aux travaux de J.K. Gibson-Graham et les économies communautaires collectives afin d'expliquer comment les idées de surdétermination, diverses économies, et performativité mieux peut équiper le domaine de l'écologie politique pour contribuer à d'autres avenirs. Et enfin, nous discutons de la façon dont les articles repenser les valeurs, la politique, et de l'ampleur d'une manière qui appuie nos efforts scientifiques et activistes.

Los ensayos en este número especial, ofreciendo reflexiones fundamentadas en estudios etnográficos sobre diversos esfuerzos de activismo económico, comienzan a articular una política ecológica no-capitalocéntrica que pensamos puede ayudar a los académicos-activistas a politizar, reimaginar, y recrear relaciones socio-ecológicas. En este ensayo introductorio, ofrecemos una visión útil de cómo académicos-activistas pueden comprometerse con y apoyar más formas justas y sustentables de organización de relaciones humano-humano y humano-ambiente. Específicamente, argumentamos que investigadores comprometidos pueden contribuir significantemente a una valiosa "revolución ecológica" (1) examinando los tremendamente diversos, ya-existentes experimentos con otras maneras de ser en el mundo, (2) ayudando a desarrollar visiones, análisis, narrativas, y anhelos alternativos que puedan llevar a la gente a anhelar y adoptar esas otras maneras de ser, y (3) activamente apoyando y construyendo economías y ecologías con orientaciones éticas alternativas. Cada ensayo de esta colección busca uno o más de estos objetivos, y este ensayo introductorio provee una base conceptual para estos estudios etnográficos y una síntesis de algunas de sus principales contribuciones. Comenzamos describiendo por qué la crítica es analítica y políticamente inadecuada, y explicando por qué nosotros pensamos que una ontología no-capitalocéntrica ofrece un complemento esencial para académicos comprometidos. Después presentamos el trabajo de J.K. Gibson-Graham y el Colectivo de Economías Comunitarias (Community Economies Collective) con el fin de explicar cómo ideas de sobredeterminación, economías diversas, y performatividad equipan mejor el campo de la ecología política para contribuir así a futuros alternativos. Y finalmente, discutimos cómo los artículos en este volumen reconceptualizan valor, política, y escala en una manera que ilumina nuestros esfuerzos académicos y activistas.

The articles in this special section, by offering ethnographically grounded reflections on divers... more The articles in this special section, by offering ethnographically grounded reflections on diverse strains of economic activism, begin to articulate a non-capitalocentric political ecology that we think can help scholaractivists politicize, reimagine, and recreate socio-ecological relations. In this introductory article, we offer a useful vision of how scholar-activists can engage with and support more just and sustainable ways of organizing human-human and human-environment relations. Specifically, we argue that engaged researchers can significantly contribute to a meaningful "ecological revolution" by (1) examining the tremendously diverse, already-existing experiments with other ways of being in the world, (2) helping to develop alternative visions, analyses, narratives, and desires that can move people to desire and adopt those ways of being, and (3) actively supporting and constructing economies and ecologies with alternative ethical orientations. Each article in this collection attempts one or more of these goals, and this introductory article provides a conceptual grounding for these ethnographic studies and a synthesis of some of their primary contributions. We begin by describing why critique is analytically and politically inadequate and explain why we think a non-capitalocentric ontology offers an essential complement for engaged scholarship. We then turn to the work of J.K. Gibson-Graham and the Community Economies Collective in order to explain how ideas of overdetermination, diverse economies, and performativity better equip the field of political ecology to contribute to alternative futures. And finally, we discuss how the articles in this volume reconceptualize values, politics, and scale in a manner that illuminates our scholarly and activist efforts.

The articles in this special section, by offering ethnographically grounded reflections on divers... more The articles in this special section, by offering ethnographically grounded reflections on diverse strains of economic activism, begin to articulate a non-capitalocentric political ecology that we think can help scholaractivists politicize, reimagine, and recreate socio-ecological relations. In this introductory article, we offer a useful vision of how scholar-activists can engage with and support more just and sustainable ways of organizing human-human and human-environment relations. Specifically, we argue that engaged researchers can significantly contribute to a meaningful "ecological revolution" by (1) examining the tremendously diverse, already-existing experiments with other ways of being in the world, (2) helping to develop alternative visions, analyses, narratives, and desires that can move people to desire and adopt those ways of being, and (3) actively supporting and constructing economies and ecologies with alternative ethical orientations. Each article in this collection attempts one or more of these goals, and this introductory article provides a conceptual grounding for these ethnographic studies and a synthesis of some of their primary contributions. We begin by describing why critique is analytically and politically inadequate and explain why we think a non-capitalocentric ontology offers an essential complement for engaged scholarship. We then turn to the work of J.K. Gibson-Graham and the Community Economies Collective in order to explain how ideas of overdetermination, diverse economies, and performativity better equip the field of political ecology to contribute to alternative futures. And finally, we discuss how the articles in this volume reconceptualize values, politics, and scale in a manner that illuminates our scholarly and activist efforts.

... Indigenous cooperatives, corporations, and the state on Brazil's extractive ... more ... Indigenous cooperatives, corporations, and the state on Brazil's extractive frontier: Contemporary and ... by Burke, Brian Joseph, MA, THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA, 2006, 110 pages; 1434139. ... The AmazonCoop---a cooperative that mediates trade between Brazilian Amazonian ...

Learning and Teaching, Jan 1, 2009

... In response to co-operatives' expressed desire to understand and identify limita... more ... In response to co-operatives' expressed desire to understand and identify limitations and possibilities ... and consumed, we decided to reduce the number of cooperatives studied from ... VCA is useful in mapping cooperative networks, under-standing power relations and assessing ...

Latin American Perspectives, Jan 1, 2010

Cooperatives and socially responsible corporations are being hailed as possible correctives to th... more Cooperatives and socially responsible corporations are being hailed as possible correctives to the socioeconomic and ecological exploitation of transnational capitalism. AmazonCoop-a cooperative linking indigenous Brazil nut harvesters and the multinational firm The Body Shop through trade and development projects-capitalized on indigenous symbolism to generate significant material benefits for both parties. At the same time, however, it made indigenous people more vulnerable and dependent, failed to promote participatory development, masked the effects of unfavorable state policies, and perpetuated discriminatory distinctions among indigenous people. Furthermore, the cooperative did not provide an organizational framework to ameliorate the vulnerabilities of indigenous identity politics or transform symbolic capital into enduring political-economic change. This case strongly supports arguments that cooperatives must be rooted in participation, democratic member control, and autonomy if they are to promote "fair globalization" or social transformation rather than institutionalize existing patterns of exploitation.

Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:

Practicing Anthropology, 2007

Despite compelling reasons to involve nonscientists in the production of ecological knowledge, cu... more Despite compelling reasons to involve nonscientists in the production of ecological knowledge, cultural and institutional factors often dis-incentivize engagement between scientists and nonscientists. This paper details our efforts to develop a biweekly newspaper column to increase communication between ecological scientists, social scientists, and the communities within which they work. Addressing community-generated topics and written by a collective of social and natural scientists, the column is meant to foster public dialog about socio-environmental issues and to lay the groundwork for the coproduction of environmental knowledge. Our collective approach to writing addresses some major barriers to public engagement by scientists, but the need to insert ourselves as intermediaries limits these gains. Overall, our efforts at environmental communication praxis have not generated significant public debate, but they have supported future coproduction by making scientists a more visible presence in the community and providing easy pathways for them to begin engaging the public. Finally, this research highlights an underappreciated barrier to public engagement: scientists are not merely disconnected from the public, but also connected in ways that may be functional for their research. Many field scientists, for example, seek out neutral and narrowly defined connections that permit research access but are largely incompatible with efforts to address controversial issues of environmental governance.

Cooperatives have been widely supported as vehicles for community-based conservation and developm... more Cooperatives have been widely supported as vehicles for community-based conservation and development. However, these organizations are often developed around specific income-generating projects rather than broader considerations of how relations of power and ecological exploitation might be transformed. This article uses the case of AmazonCoop—a cooperative dedicated to the supposedly fair trade of Brazil nuts between Amazonian indigenous people and the multinational corporation The Body Shop—to illustrate how historical political ecology might facilitate the design of more radically transformative cooperatives. Contextualizing AmazonCoop within the history of Amazonian extractivism, and particularly the extraction of wild rubber, reveals the specific mechanisms and processes through which indigenous people have gained and lost power. This analysis thus creates opportunities for thinking more creatively about how contemporary conservation–development schemes might pursue ecologically sustainable and socially just social transformations.

Les coopératives ont été largement pris en charge en raison de leur contribution à la conservation communautaire et le développement. Ces organisations sont souvent organisés autour de projets spécifiques pour générer des revenus. Ils sont moins préoccupés par des considérations plus larges de la façon dont les relations de pouvoir et de l'exploitation écologique pourrait être transformé. Cet article utilise le cas de AmazonCoop—une coopérative dédiée à la commerce équitable des noix du Brésil entre les peuples autochtones d'Amazonie et de la société multinationale The Body Shop. Il illustrer comment l'écologie politique pourrait faciliter la conception des coopératives qui sont tranformative et radicale. Les articles situer AmazonCoop dans l'histoire de l'extractivisme amazonien, et en particulier l'extraction du caoutchouc sauvage. Il révèle les mécanismes et processus spécifiques à travers lesquels les peuples autochtones ont acquis et ont perdu le pouvoir. Cette analyse crée ainsi des opportunités pour penser de manière plus créative à propos des régimes contemporains conservation-développement, et comment ils pourraient poursuivre sur le plan écologique transformations durables et socialement juste de la société.

Las cooperativas han sido ampliamente utilizadas como vehículos para proyectos comunitarios de conservación y desarrollo. Sin embargo, estas organizaciones comunmente se desarrollan en torno a proyectos especiíicos para la generación de ingresos en lugar de consideraciones más amplias de cómo las relaciones de poder y la explotación ecológica pueden ser transformados. Este articulo utiliza el caso de AmazonCoop—una cooperativa dedicada a un comercio supuestamente justo de las nueces de Brasil entre los pueblos indígenas amazónicos y la multinacional The Body Shop—para ilustrar cómo la ecología política histórica podría facilitar el diseño de cooperativas mas radicalmente transformativas. Contextualizando AmazonCoop dentro del marco histórico del extractivismo amazónico, y en particular la extracción de caucho silvestre, revela los mecanismos y procesos específicos a través de los cuales los pueblos indígenas han ganado y perdido el poder. En consecuencia, este análisis crea oportunidades para pensar más creativamente sobre cómo esquemas contemporáneos de conservación y desarrollo podrían apuntar a transformaciones sociales que son ecológicamente sostenible y socialmente justo.

As the people of Southern Appalachia confront the challenges of climate change and exurban develo... more As the people of Southern Appalachia confront the challenges of climate change and exurban development, their foundational beliefs about the environment and human-environment relations will significantly shape the types of individual and collective action that they imagine and pursue. In this paper, we use critical discourse analysis of an influential small-town newspaper to understand how the environment is being represented publicly and consider how these representations might affect local environmental politics and efforts to mitigate or adapt to climate change and exurban sprawl. We find that the environment is generally represented as an amenity to be enjoyed rather than a subject of concern, that environmental degradation, when represented at all, is often discussed in vague or distancing terms, and that human agency is typically presented in individualizing, hyper-local terms rather than in collective, community-or national-scale ones. In conclusion, we suggest that these representational styles are likely very effective for inspiring interest in and connection to local landscapes, but they do not provide a strong basis for collective efforts to understand and address climate change and exurbanization.

The articles in this special section, by offering ethnographically grounded reflections on divers... more The articles in this special section, by offering ethnographically grounded reflections on diverse strains of economic activism, begin to articulate a non-capitalocentric political ecology that we think can help scholar-activists politicize, reimagine, and recreate socio-ecological relations. In this introductory article, we offer a useful vision of how scholar-activists can engage with and support more just and sustainable ways of organizing human–human and human–environment relations. Specifically, we argue that engaged researchers can significantly contribute to a meaningful "ecological revolution" by (1) examining the tremendously diverse, already-existing experiments with other ways of being in the world, (2) helping to develop alternative visions, analyses, narratives, and desires that can move people to desire and adopt those ways of being, and (3) actively supporting and constructing economies and ecologies with alternative ethical orientations. Each article in this collection attempts one or more of these goals, and this introductory article provides a conceptual grounding for these ethnographic studies and a synthesis of some of their primary contributions. We begin by describing why critique is analytically and politically inadequate and explain why we think a non-capitalocentric ontology offers an essential complement for engaged scholarship. We then turn to the work of J.K. Gibson-Graham and the Community Economies Collective in order to explain how ideas of overdetermination, diverse economies, and performativity better equip the field of political ecology to contribute to alternative futures. And finally, we discuss how the articles in this volume reconceptualize values, politics, and scale in a manner that illuminates our scholarly and activist efforts.

Les articles de cette section spéciale offrent des réflexions ethnographiques sur diverses souches de l'activisme économique. Ils commencent à articuler une écologie politique «non - capitalocentrique» que nous pensons peut aider universitaires militants politiser, réinventer, et de recréer les relations socio-écologiques. Dans cette introduction aux articles, nous vous offrons une vision utile de la façon des chercheurs-militants peuvent s'engager et soutenir les modes d'organisation des relations humaines-humain et humain-environnement plus justes et durables. Plus précisément, nous soutenons que les chercheurs engagés peuvent contribuer de manière significative à une «révolution écologique» significative par (1) l'examen des diverses expériences, déjà existants avec d'autres manières d'être dans le monde, (2) d'aider à développer des visions alternatives, analyses, récits, et les désirs qui peuvent se déplacer les gens à désirer et d'adopter ces manières d'être, et (3) de soutenir activement et de construire des économies et écologies des orientations éthiques alternatives. Chaque article de cette collection tente un ou plusieurs de ces objectifs, et cet article d'introduction fournit une base conceptuelle pour ces études ethnographiques et une synthèse de certains de leurs principales contributions. Nous commençons par décrire pourquoi la critique «seule» est analytiquement et politiquement inadéquate et expliquer pourquoi nous pensons une «ontologie non capitalocentrique» offre un complément essentiel pour l'érudition engagée. Nous passons ensuite aux travaux de J.K. Gibson-Graham et les économies communautaires collectives afin d'expliquer comment les idées de surdétermination, diverses économies, et performativité mieux peut équiper le domaine de l'écologie politique pour contribuer à d'autres avenirs. Et enfin, nous discutons de la façon dont les articles repenser les valeurs, la politique, et de l'ampleur d'une manière qui appuie nos efforts scientifiques et activistes.

Los ensayos en este número especial, ofreciendo reflexiones fundamentadas en estudios etnográficos sobre diversos esfuerzos de activismo económico, comienzan a articular una política ecológica no-capitalocéntrica que pensamos puede ayudar a los académicos-activistas a politizar, reimaginar, y recrear relaciones socio-ecológicas. En este ensayo introductorio, ofrecemos una visión útil de cómo académicos-activistas pueden comprometerse con y apoyar más formas justas y sustentables de organización de relaciones humano-humano y humano-ambiente. Específicamente, argumentamos que investigadores comprometidos pueden contribuir significantemente a una valiosa "revolución ecológica" (1) examinando los tremendamente diversos, ya-existentes experimentos con otras maneras de ser en el mundo, (2) ayudando a desarrollar visiones, análisis, narrativas, y anhelos alternativos que puedan llevar a la gente a anhelar y adoptar esas otras maneras de ser, y (3) activamente apoyando y construyendo economías y ecologías con orientaciones éticas alternativas. Cada ensayo de esta colección busca uno o más de estos objetivos, y este ensayo introductorio provee una base conceptual para estos estudios etnográficos y una síntesis de algunas de sus principales contribuciones. Comenzamos describiendo por qué la crítica es analítica y políticamente inadecuada, y explicando por qué nosotros pensamos que una ontología no-capitalocéntrica ofrece un complemento esencial para académicos comprometidos. Después presentamos el trabajo de J.K. Gibson-Graham y el Colectivo de Economías Comunitarias (Community Economies Collective) con el fin de explicar cómo ideas de sobredeterminación, economías diversas, y performatividad equipan mejor el campo de la ecología política para contribuir así a futuros alternativos. Y finalmente, discutimos cómo los artículos en este volumen reconceptualizan valor, política, y escala en una manera que ilumina nuestros esfuerzos académicos y activistas.

The articles in this special section, by offering ethnographically grounded reflections on divers... more The articles in this special section, by offering ethnographically grounded reflections on diverse strains of economic activism, begin to articulate a non-capitalocentric political ecology that we think can help scholaractivists politicize, reimagine, and recreate socio-ecological relations. In this introductory article, we offer a useful vision of how scholar-activists can engage with and support more just and sustainable ways of organizing human-human and human-environment relations. Specifically, we argue that engaged researchers can significantly contribute to a meaningful "ecological revolution" by (1) examining the tremendously diverse, already-existing experiments with other ways of being in the world, (2) helping to develop alternative visions, analyses, narratives, and desires that can move people to desire and adopt those ways of being, and (3) actively supporting and constructing economies and ecologies with alternative ethical orientations. Each article in this collection attempts one or more of these goals, and this introductory article provides a conceptual grounding for these ethnographic studies and a synthesis of some of their primary contributions. We begin by describing why critique is analytically and politically inadequate and explain why we think a non-capitalocentric ontology offers an essential complement for engaged scholarship. We then turn to the work of J.K. Gibson-Graham and the Community Economies Collective in order to explain how ideas of overdetermination, diverse economies, and performativity better equip the field of political ecology to contribute to alternative futures. And finally, we discuss how the articles in this volume reconceptualize values, politics, and scale in a manner that illuminates our scholarly and activist efforts.

The articles in this special section, by offering ethnographically grounded reflections on divers... more The articles in this special section, by offering ethnographically grounded reflections on diverse strains of economic activism, begin to articulate a non-capitalocentric political ecology that we think can help scholaractivists politicize, reimagine, and recreate socio-ecological relations. In this introductory article, we offer a useful vision of how scholar-activists can engage with and support more just and sustainable ways of organizing human-human and human-environment relations. Specifically, we argue that engaged researchers can significantly contribute to a meaningful "ecological revolution" by (1) examining the tremendously diverse, already-existing experiments with other ways of being in the world, (2) helping to develop alternative visions, analyses, narratives, and desires that can move people to desire and adopt those ways of being, and (3) actively supporting and constructing economies and ecologies with alternative ethical orientations. Each article in this collection attempts one or more of these goals, and this introductory article provides a conceptual grounding for these ethnographic studies and a synthesis of some of their primary contributions. We begin by describing why critique is analytically and politically inadequate and explain why we think a non-capitalocentric ontology offers an essential complement for engaged scholarship. We then turn to the work of J.K. Gibson-Graham and the Community Economies Collective in order to explain how ideas of overdetermination, diverse economies, and performativity better equip the field of political ecology to contribute to alternative futures. And finally, we discuss how the articles in this volume reconceptualize values, politics, and scale in a manner that illuminates our scholarly and activist efforts.

... Indigenous cooperatives, corporations, and the state on Brazil's extractive ... more ... Indigenous cooperatives, corporations, and the state on Brazil's extractive frontier: Contemporary and ... by Burke, Brian Joseph, MA, THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA, 2006, 110 pages; 1434139. ... The AmazonCoop---a cooperative that mediates trade between Brazilian Amazonian ...

Learning and Teaching, Jan 1, 2009

... In response to co-operatives' expressed desire to understand and identify limita... more ... In response to co-operatives' expressed desire to understand and identify limitations and possibilities ... and consumed, we decided to reduce the number of cooperatives studied from ... VCA is useful in mapping cooperative networks, under-standing power relations and assessing ...

Latin American Perspectives, Jan 1, 2010

Cooperatives and socially responsible corporations are being hailed as possible correctives to th... more Cooperatives and socially responsible corporations are being hailed as possible correctives to the socioeconomic and ecological exploitation of transnational capitalism. AmazonCoop-a cooperative linking indigenous Brazil nut harvesters and the multinational firm The Body Shop through trade and development projects-capitalized on indigenous symbolism to generate significant material benefits for both parties. At the same time, however, it made indigenous people more vulnerable and dependent, failed to promote participatory development, masked the effects of unfavorable state policies, and perpetuated discriminatory distinctions among indigenous people. Furthermore, the cooperative did not provide an organizational framework to ameliorate the vulnerabilities of indigenous identity politics or transform symbolic capital into enduring political-economic change. This case strongly supports arguments that cooperatives must be rooted in participation, democratic member control, and autonomy if they are to promote "fair globalization" or social transformation rather than institutionalize existing patterns of exploitation.