The Spectacular Environmentalism of Cecil the Lion by Sandra Gillian Mccubbin A
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The Spectacular Environmentalism of Cecil the Lion by Sandra Gillian McCubbin A thesis submitted to the Department of Geography and Planning in conformity with the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario, Canada January, 2020 Copyright © Sandra Gillian McCubbin, 2020 Abstract In July 2015, Cecil the lion’s death sparked international furore over the practice of lion trophy hunting. Interest in the Cecil story was truly spectacular. The story cut across space and scale ensnaring actors from southern Africa, the United Kingdom, and North America, from rural African villagers and Western publics to an American celebrity and a billionaire philanthropist. This dissertation investigates the Cecil story - how it unfolded, and its implications for lion conservation – as a window through which to explore broader questions relevant to human-environment geography, particularly the fields of political ecology and animal geography. Broadly, it is concerned with how spectacular discourses of global environmental crises take shape, (mis)represent environmental problems, and (re)produce power in particular ways. This dissertation draws on reading across political ecology and animal geography. Through analysis of media, documents, events, and interviews using actor-network theory and discourse analysis, this dissertation traces the Cecil Moment, the Cecil Movement, and the dissonance between the two. It also connects insights from the Cecil story to conservation politics more broadly through comparative analysis. Ultimately, the research uncovers a shift in the politics of the Cecil story. It finds that the Cecil Moment operated to dismiss the anti-trophy hunting politics that sparked and fuelled it in the first place; yet, the momentum of the Cecil Moment was grasped and re-directed toward other lion conservation priorities. I argue that this re-direction was not neutral; rather, the Cecil Movement altered the politics of the Cecil Moment in a way that reproduced longstanding patterns of conservation injustice, wherein blame for biodiversity loss is directed ii away from powerful forces onto the racialized, rural poor from the Global South and wherein concern for individual animals is dismissed in favour of concern for species and populations. This research suggests that spectacular environmentalisms operate through more-than-human networks and mutable narratives that are not necessarily conducive to progressive transformation of environmental politics. Rather, they can entrench familiar patterns of conservation injustice, reproducing the power of already-empowered claims to authority, forms of knowledge, identities, and types of human-animal relationships. iii Authorship and Publication Statement This dissertation follows a manuscript-style format in accordance with the guidelines of the Department of Geography and Planning and the School of Graduate Studies at Queen’s University. Chapter 4 is in review and Chapters 2 and 3 are published. Chapters 3 and 4 are co-authored manuscripts. Chapter 2 The manuscript that appears in Chapter 2 is single-authored by Sandra McCubbin. It has been published as follows: McCubbin, S.G. 2019. The Cecil Moment: Celebrity environmentalism, Nature 2.0, and the cultural politics of trophy hunting. Geoforum. DOI: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2019.10.015 Chapter 3 The manuscript that appears in Chapter 3 is co-authored by Sandra McCubbin and Alice Hovorka. It has been published as follows: McCubbin, S.G. and A.J. Hovorka. 2019. Visioning African lionscapes: Securing space, mobiliZing capital, and fostering subjects. Environment and Planning E: Nature and Space. DOI: 10.1177/2514848619878167 As first author, Sandra McCubbin developed the initial concept for the manuscript and produced the first draft, which included her own original ideas and lines of argument. Alice Hovorka provided comments on the draft, which Sandra McCubbin incorporated before submitting the manuscript. Sandra McCubbin addressed the comments of the reviewers and re-submitted the manuscript to the publisher. Chapter 4 The manuscript that appears in Chapter 4 is co-authored by Sandra McCubbin and Lauren Van Patter. It is currently accepted with minor revisions at Gender, Place and Culture under the title Trophy Hunters and Crazy Cat Ladies: Exploring Cat Conservation through Intersectionality. Sandra McCubbin and Lauren Van Patter together developed the idea to write a comparative case study for publication. As first author, Sandra McCubbin outlined the manuscript. Sandra McCubbin and Lauren Van Patter deliberated over the various possibilities for theoretically framing the manuscript, and then both contributed to writing the first draft of the manuscript. Sandra McCubbin wrote the Introduction, Methodology, her empirical results section (Cecil case study), and parts of the discussion and Conclusion. Lauren Van Patter wrote her empirical results section (feral cats case study), and parts of the discussion and Conclusion. iv Alice Hovorka provided comments on the draft, which Sandra McCubbin incorporated before submitting the manuscript. Sandra McCubbin took the lead on addressing the comments of the reviewers and re-submitted the manuscript to the publisher. v Acknowledgements I am grateful to my advisor Dr. Alice Hovorka for her guidance, support, and encouragement. I would also like to acknowledge the help and advice given my by advisory committee members, Dr. Marcus Taylor and Dr. Ryan Danby. Warm and sincere thanks go to Lauren Van Patter, John Haffner, and Laura Pascoe for your intellectual contributions and friendship. This research was supported financially through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council; the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship; and the Queen’s University Arts ’49 Principal Wallace fellowship. This research would not have been possible without the unwavering support (and patience) from my incredible family and friends – particularly, my wife, Rachel Driscoll. Thank you. vi Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...ii Authorship and Publication Statement..…………………………………..……………………….iv Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………………………...vi Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………………………………..vii Glossary………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....ix Chapter 1 | Introduction……………………………………………………………………………...….....1 1.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………...…...1 1.2 Research Aim and Objectives……………………………………………………………………...…...4 1.3 Theoretical framework……………………………………………………………………………...…...5 1.4 Research Methods……………………………………………………………………………...…………13 1.5 Historical Context…………………………………………………………………………………………20 1.6 Dissertation Outline …………………………...………………………………………………………...28 Chapter 2 | The Cecil Moment………………………………………………………..………………...33 2.1 Introduction to Manuscript…………………………………………………………………………...33 2.2 Manuscript…………………………………………………………………………………………………...33 Chapter 3 | Visioning African Lionscapes……………………………………………………...…70 3.1 Introduction to Manuscript…………………………………………………………………………...70 3.2 Manuscript…………………………………………………………………………………………………...70 Chapter 4 | Trophy Hunters and Crazy Cat Ladies…………………………...……………106 4.1 Introduction to Manuscript………………………………………………………………………....106 4.2 Manuscript………………………………………………………………………………………………....106 Chapter 5 | Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………...…...…138 vii 5.1 Summary of Contributions…………………………………….………………………………...….138 5.2 Reflection on the Project……………………………………………………………………………..143 5.3 Future Research Directions..…………………………………….………………………………….145 5.4 Conclusion…………………………………….………………………………................………………..150 Bibliography…………………………………….………………………………................…………………152 Appendix A: Research Ethics Approval………………………………………………………….174 viii Glossary Actor-network theory: an analytical approach that allows researchers to trace the many connections and relations among a variety of actors (human and nonhuman) across various scales (international to local) and realms (social, cultural, political, economic, ecological, and spatial) which allows social phenomenon to become what they are Celebrity environmentalism: refers to the increasing prominence of famous and wealthy actors within environmental campaigns and movements Cultural politics of the environment: those power-laden processes through which environmental narratives, images, and meanings are constructed and contested across space and scale, involving assemblages of science, media, culture, nature, and politics, as well as actors with various amounts of fame, wealth, and influence Event ethnography: a research approach which offers the possibility of studying the structures and effects of institutions; conceptualiZes events (like environmental meetings) as important field sites or places where politics (like the politics of the environment) unfolds Figures: performative tropes that travel and make meaning, orienting bodies and subjectivities in particular directions; a powerful approach for investigating naturalized discourses and relations of power ix Governmentality: a robust line of thinking on the exercise of power (initially conceptualized by Michel Foucault) which refers to the deliberate attempt to shape the behaviour of populations for their security, well-being, and improvement Hierarchy: power-laden categoriZations in which the more highly valued side is constructed as privileged, superior, and radically different than the othered, inferior, marginaliZed side Intersectionality: a form of critical inquiry and praxis which enables analysis