After this weekend I realized that what intrigued me the most about Douglas County was who’s knowledge was considered correct, relevant, important, etc. Who’s perspective was taken into consideration when making decisions regarding the region? Were loggers, scientists, teachers, activists, or politicians the person to listen to? From a broad perspective I am interested in the power at play in the county and how privilege is being used.
I think this could be investigated by looking at educational and economic background of the county as a whole and the environmental groups that are opposing certain activities or policies in the county/region. I need to figure out a way that can compare these two in about a week in order for it to be done by the festival of scholars. I wish I had more time to work on this project because I am really interested in my questions but don’t think that I can give it the time to do it justice.
A larger framing question that I am interested in is: How can differing perspectives of knowledge be oppressive?
This question would frame a more situated question within Doulas County that would be something like this: How have the differing sides of logging policies been affected by education and/or economic realities?
An example would be whether or not different understandings of nature help or hinder the debate. On one hand, the way that forests and wilderness are often seen as needing to be left alone from humans is a popular perspective, one that is highlighted with the Northern Spotted Owl. On the other hand, groups from outside of Douglas County that oppose logging are able to use this perspective as a scapegoat for not empathizing or understanding the intricacies and realities of logging in a resource dependent community.