“Narrating Nature is a colorful and groundbreaking analysis of the hidden tensions inside the science underlying environmental conservation in Africa. Mara J. Goldman skillfully draws together scientific expertise and local discussions of environmental priorities to show how wildlife conservation in Africa can exclude local practices and how understanding the Maasai can enhance environmental policy and show alternative outcomes.”—Tim Forsyth, University of London
“This is not a typical book about community conservation in Africa. Rather than tell us what should happen, Goldman extensively uses first-person meeting transcripts among local people, scientists, and conservationists to convey the complex and nuanced understandings of nature, wildlife, and community. What happens when these different groups actually talk to each other? This book reveals how telling stories is a powerful way of producing knowledge, boundaries, and landscapes.”—Benjamin Gardner, author of Selling the Serengeti: The Cultural Politics of Safari Tourism— -