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An Animal History of Colonial Burma

缅甸殖民时期的动物史

基本信息

批准号：
AH/L014939/1
负责人：
Jonathan Saha
金额：
$ 8.67万
依托单位：
University of Bristol
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Fellowship
财政年份：
2014
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2014 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FL014939%2F1
关键词：
Animal History Colonial Burma

项目摘要

The colonisation of Burma did not only affect humans, it had huge ramifications for the country's animal population. This aspect of colonial rule has been neglected by historians. Despite this, the centrality of animals to British rule in Burma was apparent in a host of different areas. Elephant labour was essential for imperial commercial interests, particularly to the lucrative timber trade. Elephants were also used extensively by the state for military transportation as well as for urban and railway construction. Dogs, rats and mosquitoes were vectors of diseases that posed risks to the health of both the ruling British population as well as to their colonised subjects. Snakes too were viewed by the British as a potent danger to life. As a result, colonial officials sought out ways of managing, and often destroying, these dangerous animals. Other animals were killed principally for sport, since big game hunting was central to imperial identity and Burma was a popular site for shooting. In contrast, the deaths of some animals were a cause for concern. The plight of the Irrawaddy dolphins and the sea-turtles that frequented the Burma delta was a marker of ecological deterioration resulting from the expansion of rice cultivation in the late-nineteenth century. Animals were also important in anti-colonial politics. Burmese nationalists used animals symbolically in their campaigns, and the ethical treatment of animals became a battleground upon which British imperialists and Burmese Buddhist nationalists each attempted to claim moral superiority. Burma makes a particularly important case study for the colonial history of human-animal relationships because of three distinctive features: the prominence of animals in anti-colonial politics; the scale of environmental change in the delta; and its role as a site for imperial studies of particular animal species, especially elephants, snakes and mosquitoes.The wider implications of this project are significant. It is of increasing importance to learn more about the ecological impact of human societies, and research into the effect of colonisation on the animal populations of Burma will produce vital data on a crucial historical period marked by rapid modernisation. In addition, as Burma moves into a phase of more intensive global interaction and economic development, reflecting on the colonial period will aid our understanding of the current challenges of managing the effects of this transformation on Burma's wildlife. Through archival research, I will uncover both British and Burmese writings about animals. Reading across different genres (scientific texts, newspaper stories, bureaucratic government reports, novels, amongst others) the project will reassess the much contested impact of colonisation on Burma, examining how human-animal relations were re-figured in the colonial encounter. It will be one of the first research projects to bring the growing field of animal history into the history of Southeast Asia, and through this transform medical, cultural, environmental and socio-economic histories of the region.The fellowship will develop my skills in leading and managing a pioneering research project into a new area of historical research. The published outputs resulting from the fellowship will enhance my status as a research leader in the field of Burmese history and imperial history. As a fellow I will forge new interdisciplinary connections between Southeast Asian history, animal studies and the environmental humanities. The fellowship will also enable me to make collaborative links with the Bristol Museum, and to develop a creative and interactive website to engage with the general public.

缅甸的殖民统治不仅影响了人类，也对这个国家的动物数量产生了巨大的影响。殖民统治的这一方面一直被历史学家所忽视。尽管如此，动物在英国统治下的缅甸在许多不同地区都很明显处于中心地位。大象的劳动对帝国的商业利益至关重要，尤其是对利润丰厚的木材贸易。大象还被国家广泛用于军事运输以及城市和铁路建设。狗、老鼠和蚊子是疾病的传播媒介，对统治的英国人民及其殖民地臣民的健康构成威胁。蛇也被英国人视为对生命的潜在威胁。因此，殖民地官员寻求管理和经常摧毁这些危险动物的方法。其他动物被杀主要是为了娱乐，因为大型猎物狩猎是帝国身份的核心，而缅甸是一个受欢迎的射击地点。相比之下，一些动物的死亡令人担忧。经常出没于缅甸三角洲的伊洛瓦底海豚和海龟的困境，是19世纪晚期水稻种植扩张导致生态恶化的一个标志。动物在反殖民政治中也很重要。缅甸民族主义者在他们的运动中象征性地使用动物，而动物的道德待遇成为英国帝国主义者和缅甸佛教民族主义者各自试图宣称道德优越感的战场。缅甸是研究人类与动物关系的殖民历史的一个特别重要的案例，因为它有三个显著的特点：动物在反殖民政治中的突出地位；三角洲环境变化的尺度；以及它作为皇家研究特定动物物种的场所的作用，尤其是大象、蛇和蚊子。这个项目的广泛影响是重大的。更多地了解人类社会对生态的影响变得越来越重要，研究殖民对缅甸动物种群的影响将为这个以快速现代化为标志的关键历史时期提供重要数据。此外，随着缅甸进入更加密集的全球互动和经济发展阶段，反思殖民时期将有助于我们理解当前管理这种转变对缅甸野生动物影响的挑战。通过档案研究，我将发现英国和缅甸关于动物的著作。通过阅读不同的类型（科学文本，报纸故事，官僚政府报告，小说等），该项目将重新评估备受争议的殖民对缅甸的影响，研究人类与动物的关系是如何在殖民遭遇中重新定位的。这将是第一个将不断发展的动物历史领域纳入东南亚历史的研究项目之一，并通过这一项目改变该地区的医学、文化、环境和社会经济历史。这项奖学金将培养我领导和管理一个开创性的研究项目的技能，使其进入一个新的历史研究领域。该奖学金的出版成果将提高我在缅甸历史和帝国历史领域的研究领导者地位。作为一名研究员，我将在东南亚历史、动物研究和环境人文学科之间建立新的跨学科联系。该奖学金还将使我能够与布里斯托尔博物馆建立合作关系，并开发一个创造性和互动性的网站，与公众接触。