Margulies, J.D., Wong, R.W.Y. and Duffy, R. orcid.org/0000-0002-6779-7240 (2019) The imaginary ‘asian super consumer’ : a critique of demand reduction campaigns for the illegal wildlife trade. Geoforum, 107. pp. 216-219. ISSN 0016-7185
Abstract
There is increasing focus on altering consumer behavior within the conservation sector working to combat illegal wildlife trade (IWT). In this review we highlight how demand reduction campaigns can build on and reproduce problematic stereotypes that create and perpetuate a figure we characterize as the “Asian Super Consumer.” While there are numerous studies critiquing disturbing and racist narratives of particular actors engaged in the supply-side of IWT, the problematic ways in which racism can steer debates characterizing illegal wildlife product consumers remains generally under-explored. We focus on key examples of ivory demand reduction campaigns in China. We argue for more culturally-sensitive understandings of illegal wildlife product consumers and their motivations. Culturally-nuanced approaches in demand reduction campaigns are essential not just because they may be more effective, but because they move beyond on-going violent histories of cultural misrepresentation and racism.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/BY-NC-ND/4.0/). |
Keywords: | IWT; Ivory trade; Wildlife trafficking; Wildlife products; Critical race theory; China |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Politics and International Relations (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EUROPEAN COMMISSION - HORIZON 2020 694995 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 30 Oct 2019 15:22 |
Last Modified: | 17 Dec 2021 10:10 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.geoforum.2019.10.005 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:152822 |