In this episode, Ewa Gorska sits down with Professor Irus Braverman from the University at Buffalo (USA), to delve into her latest book, "Settling Nature: The Conservation Regime in Palestine/Israel”.
While settler colonialism is often examined through a political and social lens, Professor Braverman sheds light on the role of nature and other-than-human natures within this framework.
One of the key aspects explored is land dispossession in the name of protection. In Israel nearly 25 percent of the country's total land mass has already been designated as a nature reserve or a national park. However, the creation of national reserves and parks in Israel and the occupied West Bank have resulted in the removal of human populations.
Another important element of the process of managing nature is judaization and the symbolical reintroduction and protection of the biblical landscape.
The episode also takes a turn towards the management and tensions surrounding animals in this settler colonial context. The dichotomies between domestication and wilderness, desired and undesired, “legal” and “Illegal” animals are explored.
The conversation also touches upon the complex relationship between militarization and nature in Israel. The example of the griffon vulture serves as a point of discussion, showcasing the entanglement of nature and technology.
The episode concludes with a broader examination of conservationism and its entanglements with politics. While nature protection is generally regarded as important, we raise the question of whether conservationism in Palestine-Israel can be neutral or positive. .
