{"title":"Guillaume Blanc","description":"\u003cp\u003eGuillaume Blanc's works explore the intricate intersections between history, politics, and environmental issues, shedding light on how past narratives shape contemporary ecological debates. His books, such as \u003cem\u003eSaving African Nature\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Invention of Green Colonialism\u003c\/em\u003e, delve into the complexities of colonial legacies and conservation efforts from a critical perspective.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect thoughtful analyses that challenge conventional views on nature and power, engaging with themes of colonialism, environmental justice, and political history. Blanc's approach offers a compelling blend of scholarship and critical inquiry, inviting reflection on the global implications of environmental policies.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-invention-of-green-colonialism-by-guillaume-blanc-9781509550890","title":"The Invention of Green Colonialism","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe story begins with a dream – the dream of Africa. Virgin forests, majestic mountains surrounded by savannas, vast plains punctuated with the rhythms of animal life where lions, elephants, and giraffes reign as lords of nature, far from civilisation – all of us carry such images in our heads, imagining Africa as a timeless Eden untouched by the ravages of modernity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut this Africa has never existed. The more we destroy nature here, the more we fantasise about it in Africa. Along with UNESCO, the WWF, and other organisations, we convince ourselves that the African national parks are protecting the last vestiges of a world once untouched and wild. In reality, argues Guillaume Blanc, these organisations are responsible for naturalising large tracts of the African continent, turning territories into parks and forcibly evicting thousands of people from the lands where they have lived for centuries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMaking use of archives and oral histories, Blanc investigates this battle for a phantom Africa and the contradictory claims of nations who destroy nature at home while believing that they are protecting the natural world abroad. In so doing, they enact a new type of colonialism: \u003cem\u003egreen colonialism\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47428274421996,"sku":"9781509550890","price":42.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781509550890.jpg?v=1774497288"},{"product_id":"saving-african-nature-by-guillaume-blanc-9781509568697","title":"Saving African Nature","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the colonisation of Africa, European colonists set about creating game reserves in Africa, convinced that they would find in Africa a nature that no longer existed in Europe. After independence, and with the help of UNESCO and the WWF, African leaders continued to 'protect' the same nature — a nature that the whole world wanted to be pristine, wild, and without humans — a timeless Garden of Eden. The consequences of this story are well known: millions of Africans were expelled from the land on which they had lived for generations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut how did this happen? Who organised this continuity between the colonial era and the era of independence? Guillaume Blanc answers these questions by immersing himself at the heart of a strange global ecological mission, launched in 1961: the 'African Special Project'. He tells the story of this project by bringing to life four worlds: the world of gentleman experts who saw Africa as the world's last natural refuge; the world of East African colonists who were retraining as international experts; the world of African leaders who sought to control their peoples while satisfying the demands of their Western partners; and finally, the world of local farmers and their families living on the land who were forced to adapt or abandon their homes. These men do not speak of the same nature, but step by step, their worlds draw closer together until they meet — and this is where violence erupts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis impressive book lays bare the violence inherent in the creation of African game reserves and national parks and documents a hidden dimension of colonialism and its legacies. \u003cem\u003eSaving African Nature\u003c\/em\u003e provides an insightful and critical exploration of these themes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47650578596076,"sku":"9781509568697","price":42.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781509568697-saving-african-nature.jpg?v=1779327923"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/guillaume-blanc.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}