Beyond the “Pine Pig”: Reimagining Protection through the US National Park Ranger

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This article shows how the US national park ranger comes to function simultaneously as friendly, educational caretaker and as policing authority forged through and upholding state violence. It argues that long-standing government and popular discourse distinguishing rangers from “real” police naturalizes and actively supports the ranger’s authoritative role in hierarchies of power. This framework further obscures the violent mechanisms of social and environmental control that underwrite the national parks as such. At the same time, however, the article suggests that persistent efforts to distinguish rangers from law enforcement create an opportunity to practice collaborative and anti-authoritarian forms of protection.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)96-118
Number of pages23
JournalRadical History Review
Volume2020
Issue number137
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1 2020

Keywords

  • Environmentalism
  • National parks
  • Policing
  • Rangers

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • History

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Beyond the “Pine Pig”: Reimagining Protection through the US National Park Ranger'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this