Science, Society and Power
Environmental Knowledge and Policy in West Africa and the Caribbean

A comparative ethnography of scientific and policy practice in African and Caribbean settings.

James Fairhead (Author), Melissa Leach (Author)

9780521828741, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 16 October 2003

284 pages, 11 b/w illus. 4 maps 6 tables
23.6 x 15.8 x 2.3 cm, 0.576 kg

'A remarkable and fascinating book. Fairhead and Leach combine the ethnographic study of two 'developing' countries with a thorough grasp of wider theoretical debates over science and society. They bring a much-needed anthropological perspective to issues of scientific governance and the social relations of science and policy. Our understanding of the international and local dynamics of environmental practice is accordingly transformed. This book has significant implications for both social scientific understanding and the development of future forms of governance. At a time when the interaction of social life and scientific practice is more important than ever, Science, Society and Power addresses crucial issues and deserves a very wide readership.' Alan Irwin, Brunel University

In this book, James Fairhead and Melissa Leach bring science to the heart of debates about globalisation, exploring transformations in global science and contrasting effects in Guinea, one of the world's poorest countries, and Trinidad, a more prosperous, industrialised and urbanised island. The book focuses on environment, forestry and conservation sciences that are central to these countries and involve resources that many depend upon for their livelihoods. It examines the relationships between policies, bureaucracies and particular types of scientific enquiry and explores how ordinary people, the media and educational practices engage with this. In particular it shows how science becomes part of struggles over power, resources and legitimacy. The authors take a unique ethnographic perspective, linking approaches in anthropology, development and science studies. They address critically prominent debates in each, and explore opportunities for new forms of participation, public engagement and transformation in the social relations of science.

1. Science and society: an ethnographic approach
2. Science and globalising in governance
3. Science and policy in Trinidad and Guinea: comparative settings
4. Biodiversity and conservation in Guinea
5. Biodiversity and conservation in Trinidad
6. Sustainable timber production and forest management in Guinea
7. Sustainable timber production and forest management in Trinidad
8. Science and policy in society: mass-media and education
9. Reflections on science, society and power.

Subject Areas: Environmental science, engineering & technology [TQ], Human geography [RGC], Physical anthropology [JHMP], Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography [JHMC], Social theory [JHBA], Globalization [JFFS]