In Namibia's growing ecotourism industry, the Haiǀǀom and!Xung San peoples face an important contradiction: they are marketed as 'authentic' stewards of nature—primordial guardians untouched by modernity—yet must embrace the very capitalist systems their tourism represents to survive economically. This tension reveals more profound problems with how Western consumers approach Indigenous cultures. Tourists seeking such 'authentic'…Read more New book chapter about Indigenous agency in Namibian ecotourism
NEWS
New Perspective out about the framing of Indigenous Peoples
This recent Perspective paper in Environmental Science and Policy explains how Indigenous Peoples are framed within contemporary debates on biodiversity loss and climate change, and why it is important to keep studying this ever-changing frame. Drawing on Debord’s ‘spectacle’, we analyse repetitive representations of Indigenous Peoples as simplified portrayals and narratives that mask deeper socio-economic…Read more New Perspective out about the framing of Indigenous Peoples
New article out in Nature + Culture about limitarianism to interrogate sustainable tourism initiatives
We explore the concept of limitarianism as a critical lens for examining sustainable tourism, highlighting its potential pitfalls in addressing wealth inequality and environmental justice. The article can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3167/nc.2026.210102. Or simply go to Publications on this website; it's under 2026. Thank you, Gijsbert Hoogendoorn and Dennis Munyingwa for a very fruitful collaboration!…Read more New article out in Nature + Culture about limitarianism to interrogate sustainable tourism initiatives
A short and sweet spinoff article about Intimidation
Today, a short article about intimidation was published in Current Conservation, which is a spin-off from last year's article in Conservation Biology. It's a quick and easy read: https://www.currentconservation.org/intimidation-of-social-scientists-in-conservation/. Thanks Nowella Anyango-van Zwieten for leading this!
New article on understanding land dynamics: The Hai||om people in Namibia
The new article is now published in a special issue, which concerns 'Conservation and Land in Namibia' in the Namibian Journal of Environment. Katharina Wahedi and I explore the situation of the Hai||om at the Tsintsabis resettlement farm. We used ethnographic research and sensorial mapping. Our findings reveal that many outside forces challenge the Hai||om's…Read more New article on understanding land dynamics: The Hai||om people in Namibia
Stasja Koot 