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1475 Central Campus Mall, Boulder, CO 80309

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Christian Kull  
Professor of Development Studies
Institute of Geography and Sustainability
University of Lausanne, Switzerland

In Person:
GUGG 205
Jan 20, 2023, 3:35 PM - 5:00 PM

Or Join Zoom Meeting:
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Abstract

People have long transported diverse trees called ‘acacia’ across oceans. In a surprising number of cases, these trees contribute new social-ecological and aesthetic landscapes, shaped by how humans use the trees and by how the trees grow and spread by themselves. In this presentation, I describe the history, geography, and social context of ‘acacia’ through empirical case studies in several landscapes around the world, including A. mangium in central Vietnam, R. pseudoacacia in western France, and A. dealbata in highland Madagascar. I then consider what the mix of idiosyncratic stories and common patterns that emerges from treating ‘acacia’ as the object of analysis can tell us.  At a conceptual level, it pushes us to reconsider what ‘natural history’ means in the Anthropocene.  At a topical level, the cases raise questions of winners and losers, of framings and discourses, of ecology, and of belonging which are relevant to invasion biology, to regional development, to people’s lives and livelihoods, and thus ultimately regarding our approach to sustainability and transitions.

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  • Sophia Rose Sickling

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Join Zoom Meeting:
cuboulder.zoom.us/j/95212938528
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