The “Department of Human Needs”: Renewable energy and the water–energy–land nexus in Zanzibar

Dean, Erin

doi:10.1002/sea2.12281

Cited by 3 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 37 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In reflecting on our discussions at the Annual Meeting of the 2022 Society for Economic Anthropology as well as on the articles collected in the following pages, we suggest that there are at least six ways we can become more precise with value theory: In considering the ethical and ontological presuppositions that always precede the ascription of value (Field, 2023; Rivers, 2023); In taking seriously the affordances that various qualia provide to specific things when they become valued (Graber, 2023); In noting how the relationships that underscore value ascriptions shift when people find themselves relating not to other people but rather to imaginary social totalities such as states or national communities (Majeed, 2023; Phillips, 2023); In appreciating the weird ways that value ascriptions are often sticky despite the best wishes of a given group of people (Majeed, 2023; Phillips, 2023); In accepting how value ascriptions are often retrospective and infused with certain claims about what the past was like (Khorasani, 2023); and In reckoning with the fact that humans often occupy multiple contradictory value regimes at the same time (Dean, 2023; DuBois, 2023). …”

Section: What's It Worth To You?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Erin Dean (2023), in her article on resource management in Zanzibar, develops the idea of a “resource nexus” to theorize what happens when humans try to institutionalize and manage contradictory value demands. Her case describes Zanzibar's Ministry of Land, Housing, Water, and Energy, what she calls the “Department of Human Needs.” Rather than identifying a winner or a loser in the competing priorities held by such a multimodal government agency, she suggests that we can instead identify numerous possible futures: “the possible extension of a colonial mentality that includes control of nature, opportunistic extraction, and increasing inequality; but also the possibility for cooperative creation, holistic livability, and systemic transformation” (2023, 253). For the Department of Human Needs, it is not so much one future or another, but rather many, and all at the same time.…”

Section: Into the Value‐versementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Erin Dean (2023), in her article on resource management in Zanzibar, develops the idea of a "resource nexus" to theorize what happens when humans try to institutionalize and manage contradictory value demands. Her case describes Zanzibar's Ministry of Land, Housing, Water, and Energy, what she calls the "Department of Human Needs."…”

Section: Into the Value-versementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In accepting how value ascriptions are often retrospective and infused with certain claims about what the past was like (Khorasani, 2023); and 6. In reckoning with the fact that humans often occupy multiple contradictory value regimes at the same time (Dean, 2023;DuBois, 2023).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Introduction to special issue: Value, values, and anthropology

Souleles

Archer

Thaning

2023

Economic Anthropology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Anthropologists have spent tremendous effort developing value theory. We might generally understand value theory as a form of social theory concerned with what groups of people find important or worthwhile in life; how those groups of people, via their relationships, identify, seek, and create that which is valuable; how ideas of value and worth inhere in people and things; and how those people and things then circulate and meet other universes of value. This introduction specifically, and this special issue more generally, seeks to build on this bedrock conception of value theory to offer a series of implications and considerations one should take on board when thinking about value. We suggest that these considerations will allow social researchers to more ably understand the pressing issues that motivate their investigations.

show abstract

Section: What's It Worth To You?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Into the Value‐versementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Into the Value-versementioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Introduction to special issue: Value, values, and anthropology

Souleles

Archer

Thaning

2023

Economic Anthropology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Analysis of the resource system allows the identification of effective policies for improving adaptive capacity [15,16]. For instance, previous research in Zanzibar identified solar as an important energy transition to disentangle from expensive dependencies for electricity from mainland Tanzania and ensure consistent pumping of water [17]. An integrated approach to exploring resource security across sectors could, therefore, potentially better inform where priorities are set and shifted.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Kesho’ Scenario Development for Supporting Water-Energy Food Security under Future Conditions in Zanzibar

Newman,

Enns,

Capitani

et al. 2024

Land

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Social-ecological interactions mediate water–energy–food security in small developing islands, but community-scale insights are underrepresented in nexus research. These interactions are dynamic in their response to environmental and anthropogenic pressures and need to be understood to inform sustainable land use planning into the future. This study centered on bringing together diverse stakeholders to explore water–energy–food futures using the “Kesho” (meaning “tomorrow” in Kiswahili) scenario tool for two of the largest islands that comprise the Zanzibar Archipelago. The methodology comprised four core stages: (1) exploration of how past drivers of change impacted water–energy–food security; (2) modeling of a Business as Usual Scenario for land cover change; (3) narrative development to describe alternative futures for 2030 based on themes developed at the community scale; and (4) predictions about how narratives would shape land cover and its implications for the nexus. These results were used to model alternate land cover scenarios in TerrSet IDRISI (v. 18.31) and produce visual representations of expected change. Findings demonstrated that deforestation, saltwater incursion, and a reduction in permanent waterbodies were projected by 2030 in a Business as Usual Scenario. Three alternative scenario narratives were developed, these included Adaptation, Ecosystem Management, and Settlement Planning. The results demonstrate that the effectiveness of actions under the scenario options differ between the islands, indicating the importance of understanding the suitability of national policies across considered scales. Synergies across the alternative scenario narratives also emerged, including integrated approaches for managing environmental change, community participation in decision making, effective protection of forests, cultural sensitivity to settlement planning, and poverty alleviation. These synergies could be used to plan strategic action towards effectively strengthening water–energy–food security in Zanzibar.

show abstract