Faculty
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Jennifer SilverPhD, Simon Fraser University, 2010 Office: Hutt 344 |
Specialization
Perspectives on nature-society relations, with special interest in oceans governance and marine resource development; Contemporary State and Non-Governmental approaches to relations with Indigenous Peoples; British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest.
Research Interests
My academic curiosity and research tend to be occupied with questions of nature and society. How and why do we conceptualize and patrol these categories? What are the most appropriate approaches to living with(in) networks that produce uneven environmental and socioeconomic outcomes? How do culture, politics, and power affect all of the above? Human geography is a stimulating point of entry to these questions because it encourages me to consider a rich variety of evidence in relation to prominent social theory. To date, I have been most influenced by: political ecology and political economy, theory in environmental governance and property, thinking on economic diversity/more-than-capitalism, and post-humanism.
Topically, my research contributes to understandings of how various facets of society know, represent, and interact with oceans, coastal communities, and marine resources. My past work has focused on the participation of fishers in marine conservation research in the Caribbean and the politics and outcomes of initiatives for shellfish aquaculture expansion in British Columbia, Canada. Two strong themes in my emerging research program are:
- contemporary approaches and perspectives regarding seafood production, consumption, and regulation (e.g., aquaculture in North America)
- relations amongst organizations of Indigenous Peoples, Government, NGOs, and private firms in the context of environmental governance (e.g., Oceans governance, marine property, and development in British Columbia).
I am excited by research that broadens how we think about nature-society relations and speaks to what environmental governance might aspire to in the future, and I look forward to engaging with students, colleagues and others! Please be in touch if you would like more information on my research or course materials, or to discuss related ideas, issues, or projects.
Selected Recent Publications
Pinkerton, E. and J.J. Silver. 2011. Cadastralizing or coordinating the clam commons? Can competing community and government visions of wild and farmed fisheries be reconciled? Marine Policy 35 (1):63-72.
Campbell, Lisa M., J.J. Silver, N.J. Gray, S. Ranger, A. Broderick, T. Fisher, M.H. Godfrey, S. Gore, K.V.D. Hodge, C. Martin, A. McGowan, P. Richardson, C. Sasso, L. Slade, B. Godley. 2009. Co-management of sea turtle fisheries: Biogeography versus geopolitics. Marine Policy 33: 137-145.
Silver, J.J. 2006. Weighing in on Scale: Synthesizing disciplinary approaches to scale in the context of building interdisciplinary resource management. Society and Natural Resources. 21(10): 921-929.
Campbell, Lisa M., N.J. Gray, Z.A. Meletis, J.G. Abbott, and J.J. Silver. 2006. Gatekeepers and keymasters: Dynamic relationships of access in geographical field work. The Geographical Review 96 (1): 97-121.
Silver, J.J. and L.M. Campbell. 2005. Perspectives on fisher participation in research: fisher reactions and dilemmas with the use of fisher knowledge. Ocean and Coastal Management 48: 721-741.