WEEK 2: Animal Conservation

The ideas and practices of conservation and wilderness in the Global North emerged in response to growing environmental destruction, but were also shaped by colonial and capitalist ways of inhabiting the earth. In this class, we will look at some of those evolving ideas as articulated by foresters, conservationists, and environmental thinkers in the 20th century, while questioning the colonial and speciesist assumptions that historically shaped their arguments. Through writing prompts, we will examine the discourse that developed during this period around concepts such as wilderness, ecology and habitat.