In this paper I provide a historical overview of the various relations of paternalism in which the different Bushmen groups of Southern Africa have been involved in, as a (part) explanation of their contemporary and perpetuating 'inferior' positions in development, tourism and beyond. The abstract: In southern Africa, the indigenous Bushmen (San) have for long…Read more New paper: Articulations of inferiority: From pre-colonial to post-colonial paternalism in tourism and development among the indigenous Bushmen of Southern Africa

A short new paper can be found under Publications, in which the relation between conservation and COVID-19 is addressed and ways forward presented to alter nature conservation financing schemes. The article can also be found open access here: https://www.ppesydney.net/issue-85-winter-2020/ Thanks to my colleagues Kate Massarella and Bram Büscher for co-authoring this piece and especially Rob…Read more New paper: ‘Close the tap!’: COVID-19 and the need for convivial conservation

This paper is a collaborative effort with Paul Hebinck and Sian Sullivan. It addresses epistemological and (cross-disciplinary) methodological issues, particularly positionality and self-reflexivity on one's position as a researcher. Especially when one works as a professional, this is important, as our case material from Namibia shows. You can read the paper here, and last year…Read more New paper: Science for success—A conflict of interest? Researcher position and reflexivity in socio-ecological research for CBNRM in Namibia.

First of all, my apologies to the non-Dutch speaking followers of my website; somewhat exceptionally I publish a manifesto in Dutch, signed by 170 academics working in the Netherlands, which was published in the newspaper Trouw on 11 April 2020. I hope an English version will be published somewhere soon, which I will then also…Read more New ‘blog post’: A manifesto by Dutch academics about important post-Corona politics in the Netherlands

A new paper about Treesleeper Camp, where I used to work long ago and where I will go back soon (and about which I have written various papers in the past). I wrote it together with my collegues Verina Ingram and Mariska Bijsterbosch. The paper addresses the project's challenges at a local level, and how…Read more New paper: State paternalism and institutional degradation at Treesleeper Eco-camp: Community-based tourism and the loss of sovereignty among Bushmen in Namibia