The Politics of Invasive Weed Management: Gender, Race, and Risk Perception in Rural California

Autor/in	Norgaard, Kari Marie
Titel	The Politics of Invasive Weed Management: Gender, Race, and Risk Perception in Rural California
Quelle	In: Rural Sociology, 72 (2007) 3, S.450-477 (28 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0036-0112
Schlagwörter	Racial Factors; American Indians; Minority Groups; Participant Observation; Herbicides; Hazardous Materials; Rural Areas; Interviews; Risk; Trust (Psychology); Proximity; Gender Differences; Racial Differences; Disproportionate Representation; Environmental Influences; Social Influences; Public Health; Political Issues; Local History; Context Effect; United States + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? American Indian; Indianer; Ethnische Minderheit; Teilnehmende Beobachtung; Herbizid; Hazardous substance; Gefahrstoff; Rural area; Ländlicher Raum; Interviewing; Interviewtechnik; Risiko; Lebensnähe; Geschlechterkonflikt; Rassenunterschied; Environmental influence; Umwelteinfluss; Sozialer Einfluss; Gesundheitswesen; Politischer Faktor; Ortsgeschichte; USA
Abstract	"Biological invasions" are now recognized as the cause of significant ecological and economic damage. They also raise a series of less visible social issues. Management of invasive species is often a political process raising questions such as who decides which organisms are to be managed, and who benefits or is affected by different management techniques. In a rural region of northern California, the proposed use of herbicides on spotted knapweed sparked an intense social controversy. This research uses participant observation, interviews, and archival material to understand how members of the Karuk Tribe of California, the non-Indian community, and the U.S. Forest Service developed different perceptions of safety and risk regarding herbicide use. I describe interconnected factors that frame the interpretation of risk: institutional trust, proximity to exposure, gender, and race. Gender and race, in turn, form the basis of anti-herbicide mobilization. The larger sociological question highlighted is, who pays the price for species invasions? Use of herbicides on invasive species is increasing. Many people who face increased exposure to herbicides are members of racial minority groups. When the poor or racial minorities face disproportionate exposure, differences in risk perception become matters of environmental justice. This paper discusses the broader social implications of differences in risk perception among communities and land managers. (Contains 1 footnote.) (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Rural Sociological Society. 104 Gentry Hall, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211-7040. Tel: 573-882-9065; Fax: 573-882-1473; e-mail: ruralsoc@missouri.edu; Web site: http://www.ruralsociology.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10