Entanglements of climate change and conflict: climate change adaptation in post-war Sri Lanka

气候变化与冲突的纠葛：战后斯里兰卡的气候变化适应

• 批准号: 2213800
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: School of Oriental and African Studies
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2018 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2213800
• 关键词: Entanglements; climate; change; conflict; adaptation

This project is about climate change, conflict and how they are entangled in post-war Sri Lanka. There are currently no ethnographic studies of the social life of climate change, or the process of adaptation, in communities affected by civil conflict. This study will address this through ethnographic research of a climate change adaptation intervention in Sri Lanka's Dry Zone - a site of unresolved ethnic conflict, already experiencing the effects of climate change. This research will form links between the anthropology of climate change, theorisations of risk and danger (Beck 2007; Douglas 1992), analyses of Sri Lanka's 'ethnic' conflict (Tambiah 1986) and literature considering the politicisation of disaster (Simpson 2014). In doing so, it seeks to move beyond existing ethnographic accounts of 'living in denial' in the West (Norgaard 2011) and culturally-bound interpretations of climate change in the Global South (Lipset 2011; Rudiak-Gould 2013). Research Questions 1) How is the risk of climate change perceived by Tamil and Sinhalese Sri Lankans in the wake of a violent conflict? 2) To what extent will ethnic conflict coalesce around, or be dissipated by, the process of adaptation? 3) In what ways will the legacies of the conflict shape adaptation policy? Methodology and Timetable of Research Mixed-ethnic communities in the Dry Zone that are currently being targeted by a $38,000,000 intervention will form the context of this study. This intervention was initiated by the Sri Lankan government and is co-funded by the Green Climate Fund and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Broadly, it aims to 'strengthen the resilience of smallholder farmers in the Dry Zone to climate variability and extreme events' (UNDP 2017), with emphasis on the necessity of inter-ethnic co-operation. Year 1 I have been refining my research questions and receiving further methods training during the MA in Anthropological Research Methods at SOAS. I have also been learning Sinhala and Tamil. Years 2-3 12 months of fieldwork in Sri Lanka will deploy the following methods, corresponding to the research questions outlined above. 1) After two months of language training in Colombo, I will spend seven months conducting ethnographic fieldwork in two communities targeted by the intervention: one in the district of Anuradhapura, where the Sinhalese form the ethnic majority, and one in Vavuniya, where the Tamils do. Through participant observation of daily life and in-depth interviews with Sinhalese and Tamil villagers, research will focus on individual and collective memories of the conflict, the history of rural development in the area, perceptions of the changing climate, and the ways in which memories of past traumas shape the perception of climate-based risk. 2) By taking part in co-operative community adaptation activities and studying their management within the community, the extent to which ethnic tension coalesces around the process of adaptation will be studied ethnographically. 3) The remaining three months will be spent conducting participant observation of policymaking in Colombo. I will attend workshops and roundtable events for environmental NGOs and policymakers, study policy documents, and interview local environmental activists and climate scientists. Years 3-4 I will write-up my findings and disseminate them to stakeholders in Colombo and the wider development community. The findings of this study will be of direct relevance to local policymakers such as the Sri Lankan government's Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment, local implementing NGOs and international development agencies (IWMI, Green Climate Fund, United Nations Development Programme). I will engage these actors during the design phase, with the aim that they become stakeholders in the project and implements its finings.

这个项目是关于气候变化，冲突以及他们如何在战后斯里兰卡纠缠。目前没有关于受国内冲突影响的社区的气候变化社会生活或适应过程的人种学研究。本研究将通过对斯里兰卡干旱地区气候变化适应干预措施的人种学研究来解决这一问题-该地区存在尚未解决的种族冲突，已经受到气候变化的影响。这项研究将形成气候变化的人类学，风险和危险的理论（贝克2007年;道格拉斯1992年），斯里兰卡的“种族”冲突的分析（坦比亚1986年）和文学之间的联系考虑灾难的政治化（辛普森2014年）。在这样做的过程中，它试图超越西方现有的“生活在否认中”的民族志帐户（Norgaard 2011）和全球南方对气候变化的文化约束解释（Lipset 2011; Rudiak-Gould 2013）。研究问题1）在暴力冲突之后，斯里兰卡泰米尔人和僧伽罗人如何看待气候变化的风险？2)种族冲突在多大程度上会围绕适应过程而凝聚或被其化解？3)冲突的遗留问题将以何种方式影响适应政策？研究方法和时间表干旱地区的混合族裔社区目前正成为38 000 000美元干预措施的目标，将构成本研究的背景。这项干预措施由斯里兰卡政府发起，由绿色气候基金和联合国开发计划署（开发署）共同资助。从广义上讲，它旨在“加强干旱地区小农户对气候变化和极端事件的适应能力”（UNDP 2017），强调种族间合作的必要性。第一年，我一直在完善我的研究问题，并在SOAS人类学研究方法硕士期间接受进一步的方法培训。我还学习了僧伽罗语和泰米尔语。第2-3年12个月在斯里兰卡的实地考察将部署以下方法，对应于上述研究问题。1)在科隆博接受了两个月的语言培训后，我将用七个月的时间在干预措施所针对的两个社区进行人种学实地考察：一个在僧伽罗人占多数的阿努拉达普拉区，另一个在泰米尔人占多数的瓦武尼亚区。通过对日常生活的参与性观察和对僧伽罗人和泰米尔村民的深入采访，研究将侧重于冲突的个人和集体记忆，该地区农村发展的历史，对气候变化的看法，以及对过去创伤的记忆如何塑造对气候风险的看法。2)通过参加合作的社区适应活动，并研究其在社区内的管理，在何种程度上的种族紧张局势凝聚在适应过程中将进行人种学研究。 3)剩下的三个月将用于对科隆博的决策进行参与性观察。我将参加环境非政府组织和政策制定者的研讨会和圆桌会议，研究政策文件，并采访当地的环境活动家和气候科学家。第3-4年，我将把我的调查结果写下来，并分发给科隆博的利益攸关方和更广泛的发展社区。这项研究的结果将直接关系到当地的政策制定者，如斯里兰卡政府的Mahaweli发展和环境部，当地执行非政府组织和国际发展机构（IAPAC，绿色气候基金，联合国开发计划署）。我将在设计阶段让这些参与者参与进来，目的是让他们成为项目的利益相关者，并实施项目的完善。