How are stories of nature as tourism and environment told?

Milsteam's article Somethin' tells me it's all happening in the zoo: Discourse, power and conversationism discusses how zoo discourses materially and symbolically construct nature and animals. He uses the examination of discourses which often reveal multiple ideologies in tension - as dominant ideologies asset and reproduce themselves and alternative ideologies resist and challenge dominant ways of thinking and doing. The three dialectic's used are mastery-harmony, othering-connection and exploitation-idealism.




The first dialectic is mastery-harmony which looks at the tension between mastery over nature to societal progress and harmony with nature married to the belief that industrial progress threatens to disrupt such harmony. To challenge mastery, one should keep the cultural tension between mastery and harmony in mind. An example of this is a circus where the ringmaster expresses control over nature but at the same time, harmony was shown when they communicate about taking care of the animals.



The article discusses how much institutional discourse, plus science and globalization, differentiates humans as standard dominant groups from other animals, nature, and at times other humans - others framed by subordinated others. Othering serves to justify exploitative views and practices but also to divorce humans from the knowledge that they are, in fact, animals and part of nature themselves. Connection resists dualistic perceptions that frame nature as a subordinated other to humanity and instead seek to recognize reciprocity with nature. An example of this is an aquarium. Connection occurs when we go into their environments. Othering occurs when we give these animals from the other side of the glass. They keep them in the glass to differentiate them from humans.
This shows how we think animals are not humans and therefore, should not be treated as such.



The last dialectic is exploitation and idealism. Exploitation serves to reify nature as something that exists to be appropriated and commodified for ever-increasing accumulations and profits. Idealism circulates the desire to preserve and respect nature, as well as to reverse destructive human impact on nature. An example of this is the African Lion Safari. Exploitation is generated when we go into their environments and create a commodified environment where we watch and observe them. Idealism is shown when we we visit these safari's and showcase the idea of viewing animals in their natural environmental. This in turn reflects how we reflect nature.