Entering the field: Examining the relevance of political ecology to the agrarian struggle of Anjuman Muzareen Punjab in Pakistan

Abstract

The widening empirical and theoretical scope of political ecology has been accompanied by discussions on the coherence and content of the field. While these evaluations necessarily focus on what is included in the conceptual boundaries of political ecology, little is said about what is left out. This paper considers the struggle for land rights by Anjuman Muzareen Punjab, a movement of tenant farmers in Pakistan, to illustrate how changing research priorities, difficulties in crossing theoretical and conceptual boundaries, and geopolitics and research access can hinder the visibility of particular forms of socioenvironmental events in mainstream political ecology scholarship.

Other political ecologies: Introduction

“…Rukhe Zehra Zaidi's (2012) work fits more into the category of casting fresh eyes on preexisting topics but is nonetheless packed with insight. This scholar from Pakistan draws not only on fieldwork conducted for this project but also on many years of prior work as an activist and community organizer in the Punjab.…”