Abstract

Drawing on ethnographic research, this paper discusses indigenous peoples’ emotional responses to land exclusions in two Bunong villages, Mondulkiri Province, Cambodia. We examine how villagers responded to land exclusions brought about by both state-sponsored conservation and economic land concessions. To understand their responses, we work with the concept of emotions as an embodiment of both personal and collective experiences, to draw attention to the range of feelings, thoughts and expressions that emerge during environmental conflicts. Where local responses to land exclusions appear successful in changing the impact of land exclusions in favour of indigenous peoples, we find that both positive and negative emotions, especially those of local leaders, are important. Further, collective emotional responses to prevent continued land encroachments can shift the power of state actors by subjecting them to the embodied demonstrative strength of community demands. The power dynamics shows how attention to emotions provides a deeper understanding of seemingly contradictory responses by indigenous peoples to land exclusions. We conclude by returning to the importance of local leadership because while collective emotions can be positive catalysts for initiating, empowering and keeping the momentum of a movement, individual leaders need to be comfortable with embodying their own, often contradictory, emotions.

摘要

本文利用民族志研究，讨论了柬埔寨蒙多基里省两个布农村土著人民对土地排斥的情绪反应。我们研究了村民如何应对国家资助的保护和经济土地特许权所带来的土地排斥。为了理解他们的反应，我们将情绪的概念作为个人和集体经历的体现，以引起人们对环境冲突期间出现的各种感受、想法和表达的关注。如果地方对土地排斥的反应似乎成功地改变了土地排斥对土著人民的影响，我们发现积极和消极的情绪，尤其是当地领导人的情绪，都很重要。进一步，防止土地继续侵占的集体情绪反应可以通过使国家行为者服从社区要求的具体示范力量来改变他们的权力。权力动态表明，对情绪的关注如何让人们更深入地理解土著人民对土地排斥的看似矛盾的反应。我们最后回到地方领导的重要性，因为虽然集体情绪可以成为发起、授权和保持运动势头的积极催化剂，但个人领导者需要乐于体现自己的、通常是矛盾的情绪。权力动态表明，对情绪的关注如何让人们更深入地理解土著人民对土地排斥的看似矛盾的反应。我们最后回到地方领导的重要性，因为虽然集体情绪可以成为发起、授权和保持运动势头的积极催化剂，但个人领导者需要乐于体现自己的、通常是矛盾的情绪。权力动态表明，对情绪的关注如何让人们更深入地理解土著人民对土地排斥的看似矛盾的反应。我们最后回到地方领导的重要性，因为虽然集体情绪可以成为发起、授权和保持运动势头的积极催化剂，但个人领导者需要乐于体现自己的、通常是矛盾的情绪。