Two perspectives on the material and discursive construction of British Columbian forests
This paper considers how forests as hybrid natural-cultural “things” enter public debates in the province of British Columbia through the juxtaposition of two examples: first, the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute, and second, the felling of a single tree in Haida Gwaii as depicted in John Vaillan...
Published in: | TOPIA: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies |
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Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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University of Toronto Press
2009
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Online Access: | https://arcabc.ca/islandora/object/dc%3A42425 https://doi.org/10.3138/topia.21.85 https://utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/topia.21.85 |
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ftarcabc:oai:arcabc.ca:dc_42425 2024-06-02T08:07:44+00:00 Two perspectives on the material and discursive construction of British Columbian forests Yard, Jaime (yardj) (Author) (Author) 2009 https://arcabc.ca/islandora/object/dc%3A42425 https://doi.org/10.3138/topia.21.85 https://utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/topia.21.85 English eng University of Toronto Press TOPIA: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies https://arcabc.ca/islandora/object/dc%3A42425 dc:42425 uuid: 91da8f6a-f4be-4239-8ff5-3a1903e5989f issn: 1206-0143 eissn: 1916-0194 doi:10.3138/topia.21.85 https://utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/topia.21.85 http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/ ©2009. TOPIA: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies. University of Toronto Press. article Text 2009 ftarcabc https://doi.org/10.3138/topia.21.85 2024-05-06T00:30:44Z This paper considers how forests as hybrid natural-cultural “things” enter public debates in the province of British Columbia through the juxtaposition of two examples: first, the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute, and second, the felling of a single tree in Haida Gwaii as depicted in John Vaillant’s 2005 nonfiction bestseller, The Golden Spruce. The processes through which people come to know, value and represent nature in each of these examples are placed in the foreground. I argue that the framing of “the forest” as an external object for trade or conservation limits public debate by prematurely accepting the modern precept of natural and cultural separation. This argument calls for a move away from the lamentations/self-congratulatory awe of “modern” subjects faced with an external, debilitated, instrumentalized “nature,” and toward political engagement with multiple “natures,” human and non, that are not only inseparable but coconstitutive. Peer reviewed Final article published Article in Journal/Newspaper haida Arca (BC's Digital Treasures) Canada British Columbia ENVELOPE(-125.003,-125.003,54.000,54.000) TOPIA: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies 21 85 104 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Arca (BC's Digital Treasures) |
op_collection_id |
ftarcabc |
language |
English |
description |
This paper considers how forests as hybrid natural-cultural “things” enter public debates in the province of British Columbia through the juxtaposition of two examples: first, the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute, and second, the felling of a single tree in Haida Gwaii as depicted in John Vaillant’s 2005 nonfiction bestseller, The Golden Spruce. The processes through which people come to know, value and represent nature in each of these examples are placed in the foreground. I argue that the framing of “the forest” as an external object for trade or conservation limits public debate by prematurely accepting the modern precept of natural and cultural separation. This argument calls for a move away from the lamentations/self-congratulatory awe of “modern” subjects faced with an external, debilitated, instrumentalized “nature,” and toward political engagement with multiple “natures,” human and non, that are not only inseparable but coconstitutive. Peer reviewed Final article published |
author2 |
Yard, Jaime (yardj) (Author) (Author) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
title |
Two perspectives on the material and discursive construction of British Columbian forests |
spellingShingle |
Two perspectives on the material and discursive construction of British Columbian forests |
title_short |
Two perspectives on the material and discursive construction of British Columbian forests |
title_full |
Two perspectives on the material and discursive construction of British Columbian forests |
title_fullStr |
Two perspectives on the material and discursive construction of British Columbian forests |
title_full_unstemmed |
Two perspectives on the material and discursive construction of British Columbian forests |
title_sort |
two perspectives on the material and discursive construction of british columbian forests |
publisher |
University of Toronto Press |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
https://arcabc.ca/islandora/object/dc%3A42425 https://doi.org/10.3138/topia.21.85 https://utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/topia.21.85 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-125.003,-125.003,54.000,54.000) |
geographic |
Canada British Columbia |
geographic_facet |
Canada British Columbia |
genre |
haida |
genre_facet |
haida |
op_relation |
TOPIA: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies https://arcabc.ca/islandora/object/dc%3A42425 dc:42425 uuid: 91da8f6a-f4be-4239-8ff5-3a1903e5989f issn: 1206-0143 eissn: 1916-0194 doi:10.3138/topia.21.85 https://utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/topia.21.85 |
op_rights |
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/ ©2009. TOPIA: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies. University of Toronto Press. |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3138/topia.21.85 |
container_title |
TOPIA: Canadian Journal of Cultural Studies |
container_volume |
21 |
container_start_page |
85 |
op_container_end_page |
104 |
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1800752851707756544 |