Made in Madagascar Sapphires, Ecotourism, and the Global Bazaar

About this book

Since the 1990s, the Ankarana region of northern Madagascar has developed a reputation among globe-trotting gemstone traders and tourists as a source of some of the world's most precious natural wonders. Although some might see Ankarana's sapphire and ecotourist trades as being at odds with each other, many local people understand these trades to be fundamentally connected, most obviously in how both serve foreign demand for what Madagascar has to offer the world. In Made in Madagascar: Sapphires, Ecotourism, and the Global Bazaar Walsh explores the tensions and speculations that have come with the parallel emergence of these two trades with sensitivity and a critical eye, allowing for insights into globalization, inequality, and the appeal of the "natural".

Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Map

- Introduction: Links
- The Place of the Rocks
- Living in the Wake of Sapphires
- The Promise and Practice of Ecotourism in Ankarana
- Natural Wonders in the Global Bazaar
- Conclusion: So What?

References
Index

Customer Reviews

Biography

Andrew Walsh is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Western University in London, Ontario. He has published in numerous journals, including American Anthropologist, American Ethnologist, and Anthropology Today.