The Fallen Palm

ISBN-13: 9783639159592 / Angielski / Miękka / 2010 / 148 str.

Canada) Peter Rudiak-Gould (McGill University

Opis

The Marshall Islands, an archipelago of low-lying coral atolls in Micronesia, have never been an easy place to survive. The future will bring new difficulties: sea level rise and other effects of global climate change may render the entire country uninhabitable within the lifetimes of its inhabitants. This book examines local interpretations of this doomsday prophecy, weaving into this story related topics such as Marshallese notions of the good life, narratives of cultural change, attitudes towards Americans and foreign scientists, and perceptions of lingering radiation from nuclear testing. It includes a transcript of the authors interview with the President of the Marshall Islands regarding climate change, as well as an appendix offering practical advice to activists who wish to promote awareness and adaptation in communities vulnerable to climate change. The study is based upon ethnographic fieldwork in 2007 including interviews in the Marshallese language, as well as the authors experience as a volunteer teacher in a rural Marshallese community from 2003 to 2004.

O autorze

Peter Rudiak-Gould is a doctoral student in Anthropology at the
University of Oxford, with research interests in climate change,
cognition, and applied anthropology. He is the author of
Practical Marshallese, a textbook for learning the language of
the Marshall Islands. Visit the author's website at
http://oxford.academia.edu/PeterRudiakGould/