[URBANTH-L]AAA session on environmentalism in Third World cities

[Neeraj Vedwan]

Hi- I wanted to see if anyone is interested in presenting (or 
co-organizing) as part of the session I am organizing for the upcoming 
AAAs on Collective Action and the Environment in Third World Cities. 
I've attached an abstract/explanation for the session below, but I am 
happy to alter it based on the interests of those who would like to 
present papers.

My research is in New Delhi, India and deals with NGOs working on a 
range of urban environmental issues, such as, air and water pollution, 
waste management, and water resources management. Some of my research 
questions include examining the socio-economic and political factors 
underlying the emergence of environmental NGOs and the reasons for their 
relative success in influencing environmental policies and agenda.

I look forward to hearing from any of you with an interest in the topic.

Cheers,
Neeraj Vedwan
Assistant Professor
Department of Anthropology
Montclair State University
Montclair, NJ 07043
Tel: (973) 655-7559


Abstract:
Environmentalism in the First World and Third World has been  described 
as being predominantly focused on Green and Brown issues respectively.  
But this characterization sells short the diversity of initiatives 
concerning the biophysical environment in cities in less developed 
countries. Collective action under the rubric of Non Governmental 
Organizations (NGO), or, by citizens, run the gamut from policy 
formulation, neighborhood trash pickup, to obtaining clean drinking 
water to the passage of resolutions on global warming. Thus, not only 
are the topics varied and intriguing, but the ways in which people are 
organized at different levels is extremely interesting and provides us 
with the opportunity to understand variation in city dwellers' responses 
to degradation of the biophysical environment given the specific 
political-economic constraints and opportunities. The papers in this 
session will explore these collective responses in a number of settings 
and at multiple scales!
--from highlighting environmental issues using the mass media, 
public-private partnerships for environmental management, to the 
international politics of environmentalism.