Wossen Marion Popp
Conflicting Practices of Environment Construction in Bale, Ethiopia

Berliner Beiträge zur Ethnologie [ISSN 1610-6768], Bd. 9
Berlin, Oktober 2005, 213 Seiten, mit farbigen Abbildungen, € 32,00; ISBN 978-3-89998-064-6

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“In how far do western nature conservation concepts correspond to the action rationality of people living in a rural environment in southeast Ethiopia?” This question stands at the center of this book. The author examines the ways in which the various actors of a district in southeast Ethiopia construct their environment. She highlights the differences between the use practices of the different groups of the local population, the land use plan of the state and conservation efforts of international development experts.
However, the book also reveals the parallels, which exist in the aesthetic construction of the landscape by the different actors. The analysis of religious symbolizations, use practices and access regulations suggest that questions of equity as well as economic and political redistribution have to be addressed in nature conservation approaches.

About Marion Popp:
Wossen Marion Popp has been studying processes of social change in Ethiopia since 1995. She undertook her fieldwork in cooperation with development projects and thus, developed an interest in relating the findings of ethnographic research to development strategies and policies. Currently, the author works as advisor for civil society capacity building in Awassa, South Ethiopia.