Thesis (B.A.)--Boston University. University Professors Program Senior theses. / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This paper analyzes the relationship between the global discourse on the environment and
the discourse occurring in Nahuel Huapi, Argentina over the 20th century through the
year 2007. This paper applies discourse analysis theory as used by Antonio Gramsci and
Michel Foucault to the history of environmental discourse on a global, national, and local level. It assesses the institution of language and dialog through personal narrative , metaphor, rhetorical devices, and formal documentation in order to interpret the ways in
which global environmental discourse has reached Nahuel Huapi. The primary examples
of global discourse used are historical accounts by environmental sociologists , histories
of the United Nations' incorporation of environmental discourse , and anthropological
accounts of the global indigenous discourse. National linkages are made through studies
of international treaties ratified by the Argentine government and laws implemented
throughout the state. Local linkages are further made through anthropological
assessments of local discourse as well as personal interviews . I analyze the global,
national and local discourses in that order with a chronological focus throughout.
Existing analyses of environmental institutions and their effectiveness tend to focus on
the formal proceedings of international organizations, private citizens , or community
actors but most fail to assess the informal mechanisms by which these global institutions
can affect action at the local level. By arguing that language and dialog are indeed socialand political institutions, I conclude that through discourse, the international
environmental regime has strongly affected local environmental discourse in Nahuel
Huapi Argentina through two channels: 1) the National Parks System, which the
international regime has impacted mainly through United Nations forums such as
conferences and summits on the environment and development. 2) The Mapuche
community , which the international regime has impacted mainly through the inclusion of
indigenous communities in the international forum and the legitimization that the United
Nations provides these communities with regard to environmental stewardship and selfdetermination.
The study shows that early in the 20th century, when the Mapuche
community and the government of Argentina were isolated from any global discourse ,
the dialog between them was virtually non-existent. [TRUNCATED] / 2031-01-02
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/27660 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Gruber, Vanessa Simone |
| Publisher | Boston University |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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