The Technocratic Antarctic by Jessica O'reilly

The Technocratic Antarctic by Jessica O'reilly

The Technocratic Antarctic is an ethnographic account of the scientists and policymakers who work on Antarctica. In a place with no indigenous people, Antarctic scientists and policymakers use expertise as their primary model of governance. Scientific research and policymaking are practices that inform each other, and the Antarctic environment—with its striking beauty, dramatic human and animal lives, and specter of global climate change—not only informs science and policy but also lends Antarctic environmentalism a particularly technocratic patina. Jessica O'Reilly conducted most of her research for this book in New Zealand, home of the "Antarctic Gateway" city of Christchurch, and on an expedition to Windless Bight, Antarctica, with the New Zealand Antarctic Program. O'Reilly also follows the journeys Antarctic scientists and policymakers take to temporarily "Antarctic" places such as science conferences, policy workshops, and the international Antarctic Treaty meetings in Scotland, Australia, and India. Competing claims of nationalism, scientific disciplines, field experiences, and personal relationships among Antarctic environmental managers disrupt the idea of a utopian epistemic community. O'Reilly focuses on what emerges in Antarctica among the complicated and hybrid forms of science, sociality, politics, and national membership found there. The Technocratic Antarctic unfolds the historical, political, and moral contexts that shape experiences of and decisions about the Antarctic environment.

This book offers a focused 'ethnographic account' of those who provide scientific expertise and environmental governance on all matters pertaining to AntarcticaIn O'Reilly's work, the scientific and policy practices described emerge from 'historical, moral, and political contexts' that help determine the scope and nature of managing Antarctica.... This book serves as a fine resource for those seeking more information about Antarctica and aspects of its environmental policy. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals.

-- R. A. Delgado Jr., National Institutes of Health * CHOICE *

Jessica O’Reilly is Assistant Professor in the Department of International Studies at Indiana University Bloomington.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780801456923
ISBN 10	0801456924
Title	The Technocratic Antarctic
Author	Jessica O'reilly
Series	Expertise: Cultures And Technologies Of Knowledge
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Cornell University Press
Year published	2017-01-17
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.