Doctoral Dissertation Research: Fire Politics: Change and Conflict in Grassland Burning in the Highlands of Madagascar

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PELUSO, N. and KULL, C.A. This doctoral dissertation research examines the way in which economic transformations and socio-political relations affect the use of fire in the Malagasy highlands. The study will document the motivations and strategies of grassland burning, how rural communities divided by social stratification and divergent interests manage burning, and the way in which fire can be used as a tool of resource conflict or state protest. Economic transformations in Madagascar have introduced new market stimuli to rural producers, causing agricultural expansion into formerly burned pastures. Research methods include an in-depth ethnography of fire (based on interviews, surveys, and observation), historical archival analysis at the French colonial archives, and comparative case studies across the Malagasy highlands. The outcome of this research is likely to make an important contribution to our understanding of the social history of fire.