Rangeland Ecology & Management

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The Construction of Human's Identity in Nature by Opposing Social Movements in the Idaho Wolf Wars
Author
Andrew J. Caven
Publisher
Washington State University
Publication Year
2009
Body

Recent research concerning the social construction of “animals” has argued that a culture’s understanding of animals is linked to their understanding of what it means to be human. However, this vein of work has remained relatively unconnected to sociological theories of identity construction. This project draws on the conflict surrounding wolf management in the state of Idaho in an effort to better understand how human identity is negotiated in relation to animals and nature. Social movements have formed in Idaho both opposing and supporting wolf conservation. This paper examines a range of qualitative data sources from both the pro-wolf and anti-wolf social movements and finds that the movements have very different conceptions of humans’ identity in relation to nature. These identities are situated in ideologies regarding the mechanics of nature, embedded in social movement networks, and allocated to and acted out in place. 

Language
English
Collection
Keywords
wildlife management
wolves
Idaho
Wolf management
wolf reintroduction
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