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- Convenors:
-
Echi Christina Gabbert
Jed Stevenson (Durham University)
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- Chair:
-
Benedikt Kamski
(Arnold-Bergstraesser-Institute (ABI), University of Freiburg)
- Discussant:
-
Asebe Regassa Debelo
(University of Zurich)
- Format:
- Panel
- Streams:
- Anthropology (x) Law (x)
- Location:
- Philosophikum, S92
- Sessions:
- Friday 2 June, -
Time zone: Europe/Berlin
Short Abstract:
In this panel we aim to augment our joint store of knowledge about pastoralism in the twenty-first century by combining practice, knowledge, ontologies and philosophies rooted in sustainable writing and non-writing cultures to imagine parallel modes of existence beyond the modern/not modern divide
Long Abstract:
Pastoralists for Future
Pastoralists have long been depicted in divergent terms: as poor and vulnerable by some, as skilled and self-sufficient by others. However, their understanding of and being in the environment, and their highly adaptive way of living with and not only off the land may contribute substantively to the development of climate-friendly alternatives in food provisioning. Recognition of the example pastoralists provide for sustainable living in precarious environments may open up the possibility of parallel modes of existence beyond the modern/ not modern divide - an acceptance that makes mutually informed futuremaking possible.
This panel draws on the joint efforts of two networks spanning the Global South and North, the Lands of the Future Initiative (LOFI) and the Omo-Turkana Research Network (OTuRN). We aim to augment our joint store of knowledge about pastoralism in the twenty-first century by combining practice, knowledge, ontologhies and philosophies rooted in sustainable writing and non-writing cultures. Contributions will reflect on lessons from the past (including a tumultuous decade of contested developments in the Omo-Turkana region) and take stock of efforts to realise more food provision, well-being, sustainability and peace.
We ask for contributions that highlight features and voices of pastoralism that contribute to peaceful futuremaking in times of multiple crises, challenging modernist views on "land use" and "development" in Africa to rethink food provisioning by (agro-) pastoralists in the face of climate and ecological crises.
Accepted papers:
Session 1 Friday 2 June, 2023, -Sabrina Maurus (University of Bayreuth)
Paper short abstract:
Inspired by post-development theories, I reflect on an era of post-schooling that looks beyond a modern/non-modern binary of education and suggests a combination of approaches that involves schooling and education in agro-pastoralist households to create sustainable futures.
Paper long abstract:
Schooling for all children has become a global good and providing access to schools is linked to ideas of development. However, while schooling campaigns promise a better life and a reduction of poverty, many school-educated youth in the global south experience unemployment. Among pastoralists in Ethiopia the school enrolment is lower than in other parts of the country and the government uses the promise of access to schools to justify their sedentarization. In Hamar District in southwest Ethiopia, the implementation of compulsory schooling has fuelled a violent conflict in 2014/15.
Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with pupils and students during the outbreak of the conflict, I analyse how they navigate the dilemmas of going to government schools. Education in agro-pastoralist households and in government schools teach children different life skills and knowledge, which prepare them for making a living by herding and agriculture or for becoming a civil servant. While many children drop out of school and only few reach these jobs, making a living with agro-pastoralism becomes increasingly insecure due to the changing environment.
Inspired by post-development theories, I reflect in this paper on an era of post-schooling which looks beyond a modern/non modern divide and rethinks education for pastoralists as neither only schooling nor non-schooling. Thinking with pastoralist households who are sending some children to school and educating some at home, I discuss challenges and suggest some pathways of children’s education and its future implications for households to create sustainable ways of education for people living in semi-arid environments.
Hauke-Peter Vehrs (University of Cologne)
Paper short abstract:
Pastoral landscapes in East Pokot were shaped by different processes, like the local extinction of wildlife, and pastoral groups had to respond to a great variety of changes. The future of these landscapes remains contested between pastoralism, land fragmentation, energy production and conservation.
Paper long abstract:
In many regions in eastern Africa pastoral groups are confronted with daunting challenges due to land fragmentation, socio-economic transformations and adverse effects of climate change. Yet pastoral groups have shown their ability to respond to long-term and rapid changes and adapt to new conditions.
In East Pokot, in northern Baringo County, particularly ecological changes exerted a strong influence on pastoral livelihoods in the past and compelled pastoral groups to respond to it. Recently, however, pastoralists are also exposed to relatively new, external interventions, such as the exploitation of energy from geothermal sources and efforts to establish nature conservation projects in the region. These impetuses for change are perceived and assessed with ambivalent feelings among the pastoral Pokot. While some pastoralists are taking advantage of the new income opportunities to secure their livelihoods, these measures are viewed critically by others who believe these innovations jeopardize pastoral strategies due to excessive land fragmentation.
In this paper, I address three topics with reference to the historical formation of pastoral landscapes and for the future of pastoralism in East Pokot: large-scale, incremental ecological changes, such as the local extinction of wildlife, and its effects on the landscape composition (1); more recent, rapid changes in the ecosystem (biological invasions) and pastoral response strategies (2); and socio-economic challenges related to geothermal energy production and conservation projects in the region (3).