This book, edited by Warren Magnusson and Karena Shaw, was
published by the University of Minnesota Press in 2003. (McGill-Queen’s
University Press holds the Canadian rights.)
The book offers readings of the politics of Clayoquot Sound
by both international (William Chaloupka, Timothy W. Luke,
Sharon Zukin, Thom Kuehls, R.B.J. Walker) and “local”
scholars (R. Michael M’Gonigle, Catriona Sandilands,
Umeek of Ahousaht [E. Richard Atleo], Gary C. Shaw). The book
was originally inspired by discussions at the International
Workshop on the Politics of Clayoquot Sound, held in Tofino,
BC, in May 1997. The three volumes of Clayoquot
Documents are intended to be a companion to this book.
The first two volumes were available to participants at the
Workshop. The third volume contains more recent documents.
Scholars who wish to pursue the subject further may wish to
consult the Clayoquot
Archive.
As Magnusson says in his Introduction, “the book centers
on the puzzle of the political, more than on Clayoquot per
se or the issues that have arisen there.” Nevertheless,
he says, “we take Clayoquot very seriously as a site
of investigation. Readers who simply want to learn more about
the contemporary struggles of indigenous peoples, or to get
a sense of what might be done to resolve conflicts over clearcut
logging, community economic development, and globalized tourism
will find most of the chapters helpful.” The book deals
with many other issues as well. It treats Clayoquot as a place
from which we can gain a vantage on the world as a whole.
“The point about Clayoquot is not that it is unique.
... In a way, it is the very ordinariness of the site that
makes it special. Clayoquot is not the sort of place where
important things are supposed to happen. ... If we are to
understand the politics of the twenty-first century, and particularly
if we are to understand the neglected issues of political
theory, we are well advised to begin from places like Clayoquot,
rather than from places like Washington or Beijing.”
As Shaw says in her contribution, “The disputes at
Clayoquot were never simply about logging, or indeed about
the environment, and could not be resolved by an agreement
about logging or environmental preservation. Much else has
always been at issue, including democratic process, local
autonomy, dispute resolution, the nature and use of the law,
the organization and purpose of economic activity, gender
identity and gender equality, and relations between Natives
and non-Natives.” To explore Clayoquot is not only to
deal with “dramatic protests and arrests,” but
also to investigate “the micropolitics of committee
meetings about scientific epistemology, management plans,
and techniques of implementation, on the one hand, and international
markets campaigns, showdowns at shareholder meetings, and
secret negotiations, on the other.” Reading through
Clayoquot Sound is endlessly fascinating, but far from simple.
The following are brief excerpts from A Political Space:
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