This rich ethnography analyzes coastal protection as a sociomaterial practice. Coastal protection, Friederike Gesing argues, co-produces natural and cultural orders. In the context of the Aotearoa New Zealand coast, the book follows the emergence of a new sociotechnical imaginary: coastal management working "with nature" - and not against it. Analysis of a seawall controversy and different coastal protection projects shows how "soft" protection slowly takes hold. Dune restoration volunteers, coastal management experts, surfer-scientists, and Maori conservationists engage in different practices of making coastal nature-cultures: dune restoration as do-it-yourself erosion control, reconstructing native nature, or soft engineering in concert with natural processes.

Book Information
ISBN 9783837634464
Author Friederike Gesing
Format Paperback
Page Count 350
Imprint Transcript Verlag
Publisher Transcript Verlag
Weight(grams) 544g