A Zoological Spectacular: Conservation in an American Zoo
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Mississippi State University Scholars Junction Theses and Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 8-6-2021 A zoological spectacular: conservation in an American zoo Rita Bouwens [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td Recommended Citation Bouwens, Rita, "A zoological spectacular: conservation in an American zoo" (2021). Theses and Dissertations. 5263. https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/5263 This Graduate Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Scholars Junction. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Junction. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Template A v4.0 (beta): Created by L. Threet 01/2019 A zoological spectacular: conservation in an American zoo By TITLE PAGE Rita Bouwens Approved by: David M. Hoffman (Co-Major Professor) Kate McClellan (Co-Major Professor) Milena Tijerina Melo Molly K. Zuckerman (Graduate Coordinator) Rick Travis (Dean, College of Arts & Sciences) A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Mississippi State University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Applied Anthropology in the Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures Mississippi State, Mississippi August 2021 Copyright by COPYRIGHT PAGE Rita Bouwens 2021 Name: Rita Bouwens ABSTRACT Date of Degree: August 6, 2021 Institution: Mississippi State University Major Field: Applied Anthropology Major Professors: David Hoffman and Kate McClellan Title of Study: A zoological spectacular: conservation in an American zoo Pages in Study: 168 Candidate for Degree of Master of Arts Accredited US zoos aim to support wildlife conservation and educate and influence the public and create a conservation-minded community by curating immersive multispecies experiences. In this case study, I examine how zoos may practice conservation through the frameworks of biopower, spectacle, affect, and mainstream conservation paradigms. To conduct this research, I interviewed 10 zoo staff from the animal, education, development, and retail departments of a Midwestern zoo. Their rhetoric about zoos and how they practice conservation suggests that zoo staff aim to generate affective responses from guests by displaying animals in managed care. These affective responses that staff hope to generate have the potential to elicit behavioral changes in the public, such as making responsible consumer choices and donating to the zoo or to other conservation organizations. I conclude that these practices are examples of mainstream (neoliberalized) modes of conservation, which is conservation that is compatible with larger capitalist structures. DEDICATION To my mom, Rachel, my sister, Julie, and our pup Molly (2007-2020) for their unconditional love and support. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have many people to thank for making this thesis possible, including my co-advisers Dr. Kate McClellan and Dr. David Hoffman, my committee member Dr. Milena Melo, and my interlocutors who volunteered their time. Dr. Kate McClellan and Dr. David Hoffman were incredibly supportive throughout the proposal writing process, data collection, and writing stages of this thesis. Whether it was my worries about research, my overly long drafts, or my rambling emails, David and Kate were happy to assist and ease my anxiety. I thank David, Kate, and Milena for assisting me with my literature review and making sure that I was in the right direction regarding my theoretical frameworks as well as my analysis and discussion chapters, which proved to be challenging for me to write. I also want to give a special shoutout to Milena for supporting the writing of my proposal and thesis from afar after accepting a position at UTRGV. Of course, this thesis would not exist without my interlocutors. The zoo staff I interviewed were incredibly generous with their time, particularly while facing the various challenges and stress that COVID-19 presented. I commend them for taking a chance on a stranger and for taking time out of their hectic schedules to chat with me virtually. I also want to give a special shoutout here to “Bernie” for being my main zoo contact who assisted me throughout the zoo’s approval process. I also want to thank my friends and AMEC - it has been a pleasure to be a part of this community. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ................................................................................................................................ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER .......................................................................................................................................1 I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................1 II. LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................9 The Multispecies Turn, Entanglements, and the Anthropocene ......................................10 Make Live: Conservation Through Biopolitics ...............................................................23 Spectacular Nature: Conservation through Consumption ...............................................34 Affect: The Making of the Environmental Subject .........................................................39 Neoliberal Conservation and Neoliberal Environmentality: Saving the Environment Under Capitalism ...........................................................................42 III. RESEARCH METHODS ...............................................................................................51 Background ......................................................................................................................51 Positionality .....................................................................................................................51 Participant Demographics and Fieldsite ..........................................................................52 Data Collection Methods .................................................................................................54 IV. QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS .............................................................................59 Biopolitics: Zoos and Fostering Life ...............................................................................61 Managed Care ............................................................................................................63 In Situ/Ex Situ Conservation Involving Zoos ............................................................80 Zoos, Spectacle, and Consuming Nature .........................................................................89 Zoos and Spectacular Immersive Experiences ..........................................................91 Leveraging Spectacle to Conserve ............................................................................95 Affective Encounters: Connection with Animals as Tool for Conservation .................107 Personal Connection with Animals as Means for Change ......................................110 On Animals and Zoos Inspiring People to Take Action ..........................................113 iv Neoliberal Conservation and Neoliberal Environmentality: Conserving Under Capitalism ..........................................................................................................116 Donate and Consume Responsibly: Making Conservation Compatible with Capitalism ....................................................................................................118 Education and Encouraging Transformative Behavior ...........................................130 Zoos’ Power to Impact ............................................................................................138 V. DISCUSSION ...............................................................................................................143 VI. CONCLUSION AND FUTURE RESEARCH QUESTIONS .....................................151 Limitations ...............................................................................................................152 Moving Forward ......................................................................................................153 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................154 APPENDIX ..................................................................................................................................161 A. INTERVIEW QUESTIONS .........................................................................................161 B. INFORMED CONSENT FORM FOR PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH ...............164 C. CODEBOOK ................................................................................................................166 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Interlocutor information ...............................................................................................52 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 A chimp at GHZ...........................................................................................................61