Doctoral Dissertation Research: Livelihoods and Sovereignty in Coastal Alaska Communities

该奖项全部或部分由《2021年美国救援计划法案》（公法117-2）资助。阿拉斯加东南部沿海社区的居民经常面临复杂的经济、政治和环境变化。该地区的许多社区高度依赖游轮旅游以及从事观熊、钓鱼和狩猎的游客的收入。这项民族志研究1)分析了主权的各个维度是如何塑造的，以及如何被旅游部门日益增长的经济和政治影响所塑造；2)确定人为环境变化如何影响这些动态；3)探讨如何重新定义阿拉斯加东南部的可持续发展，以促进生计安全。在扩大北方旅游业和开发北方海上航线的背景下，探索旅游业与民生主权的联系尤为重要。这项研究涉及阿拉斯加东南部三个拥有大型旅游业的社区的居民。数据收集方法包括对旅游活动和社区活动的民族志参与性观察；居民的正式和非正式访谈；还有档案研究。专题编码将用于确定和理解生计主权的各个方面以及旅游业如何影响阿拉斯加沿海社区。当地咨询委员会和参与性讲习班将确保将当地社区关注的问题纳入研究活动。本研究的预期成果包括社区和会议报告以及同行评议的期刊文章。这项工作有可能为旅游政策提供信息，并加强公众参与促进可持续沿海社区的努力。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). Residents in coastal communities in Southeast Alaska routinely confront complex economic, political and environmental changes. Many communities in the region are highly dependent upon cruise ship tourism and income from visitors engaged in bear watching, sport fishing and hunting. This ethnographic research 1) analyzes how various dimensions of sovereignty are shaping, and being shaped by, the growing economic and political influence of the tourism sector; 2) determines how anthropogenic environmental change influences these dynamics; and 3) explores how sustainable development in Southeast Alaska could be reconceptualized to promote livelihood security. Exploration of tourism’s link to livelihood sovereignty is particularly relevant within the context of expanding northern tourism and the development of northern sea routes. This research engages residents in three Southeast Alaska communities with large tourism sectors. Data collection methods include ethnographic participant observation of tourism activities and community events; formal and informal interviews of residents; and archival research. Thematic coding will be used to identify and understand the dimensions of livelihood sovereignty and how tourism affects Alaska coastal communities. A local advisory board and participatory workshops will ensure that local community concerns are incorporated into research activities. Expected outcomes of this research include community and conference presentations and peer-reviewed journal articles. This work has the potential to inform tourism policy and enhance public engagement in efforts to promote sustainable coastal communities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.