SSJ30334

Description

Summer 2026 Special Topics: Ash ninka-Y nesha Biosphere Reserve (Peru) This is the second part of a two-part course exploring the environmental governance of the Ash ninka-Y nesha Biosphere Reserve in Oxapampa, Peru. In this field-based course, students will form small, interdisciplinary teams to conduct in-depth field research under the guidance of course instructors. Student research projects will work with local networks (research and policy centers, NGOs, citizen groups) and with ongoing research conducted by Clark faculty based in SSJ and with research partners and collaborators. The field study is scheduled for June 3-21th and includes field trips and guest speakers around themes related to the Biosphere. SPRING 2026 Special Topics: SECTION 02 Exploring the Micropolitics of Environmental Governance of a Biosphere Reserve The Oxapampa Ash ninka Yanesha Biosphere Reserve in Oxapampa (Peru) was recognized in June 2010 by UNESCO. It provides us with a case in which existing institutional arrangements reflect the support of a wide range of actors despite their apparently distinct interests. The province of Oxapampa, is home to long-settled Ash ninka and Y nesha indigenous groups, to European colonists who arrived in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and to coastal and highland migrants who were attracted to the province by a flourishing economy based on timber extraction, coffee production and by government incentives to colonize the region. Interactions among these groups have been characterized by conflict, largely over territorial rights and access to natural resources. These conflicts have also influenced the negotiation of institutional arrangements and the ways in which conservation and development is thought about and pursued. In this special topics course, students will develop their theoretical, analytical and professional skills by: 1) exploring theoretical frameworks and historical background to understand the micropolitics of natural resource governance, institution building and collaboration in Peru and Latin America; 2) visiting the Oxapampa Ash ninka Yanesha Biospere Reserve to learn about its governance structure through engagement with a broad range of local actors and initiatives; and 3) working individually or in teams to carry out joint research on a specific theme at this biosphere reserve.