Katherine McNally

Katherine McNally's picture
Ph.D Student

When we conserve natural resources, is it for humans or from humans? This question has surprising salience in the debates over Brexit in British fishing communities. In the Shetland Islands in northern Scotland, many fishermen supported Brexit–not because they wanted the UK to separate from Europe, but because they no longer wanted to be subject to the European Common Fisheries Policy. As an environmental anthropology PhD student, I am interested in using ethnography to explore the ways in which deep cultural ties to place and to environment have affected political allegiances in Shetland fishing communities. The debate around the UK’s membership in Europe has activated connections between environment and politics in Shetland fishing communities. These environmentally-motivated politics bring different perspectives to bear on nationhood and international environmental management within the European Union.

Department: 
Anthropology
Geography Focus: 
Western Europe
Thematic Focus: 
Anthropology
Period Focus: 
Recent