Emilia's Essay Topic

For the research paper, I would like to analyze Amazonian Indians and their role in the “eco-politics” of rainforest conservation efforts. Specifically, I will look at how the interaction of Brazilian Amazonians and Western environmentalists is creating a convergence of the two cultures; incidentally, the meeting of native and foreign societies has allowed Indian shamans to gain political leverage in the indigenous rights/rainforest preservation movement. Although the shaman’s emergence in global eco-politics has been beneficial in raising awareness of the Amazon’s environmental issues, it has also prompted local non-Indian Brazilians to label them as pawns of Westerners intent on implementing environmental “imperialism.” I was intrigued by the domestic issues at play here – namely, how the creating of a new political role for native shamans has led to an internal rift between different groups of Brazilians. To me, it was interesting to examine the merging of Amazonians and Westerners under the banner of environmental action as having possibly divisive implications for local Brazilian society.