Reviews

Global assemblages, resilience, and Earth Stewardship in the Anthropocene

Ogden, Laura; Heynen, Nick; Oslender, Ulrich; West, Paige; Kassam, Karim-Aly; Robbins, Paul

In this paper, we argue that the Anthropocene is an epoch characterized not only by the anthropogenic dominance of the Earth's ecosystems but also by new forms of environmental governance and institutions. Echoing the literature in political ecology, we call these new forms of environmental governance “global assemblages”. Socioecological changes associated with global assemblages disproportionately impact poorer nations and communities along the development continuum, or the “Global South”, and others who depend on natural resources for subsistence. Although global assemblages are powerful mechanisms of socioecological change, we show how transnational networks of grassroots organizations are able to resist their negative social and environmental impacts, and thus foster socioecological resilience.

Files

Also Published In

Title
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1890/120327

More About This Work

Academic Units
Anthropology (Barnard College)
Published Here
May 23, 2014