SAI Colloquium - “Caring for Capital Futures? Environmental Conservation and Indigenous Rights at an Urban Frontier” by Dr. Philipp Zehmisch

The Margalla Hills, a chain of the lower Himalayas that encircles Islamabad, are part of an intertwined contemporary urban frontier. They became part of capital territory when Islamabad was built in the 1960s, and were declared a National Park in 1979. At the heart of current conflicts about Islamabad lies the question if biodiverse spaces around the city should be “developed” or “protected”. This friction applies particularly to the Margalla Hillsʼ environment, which caters to different agendas: the urban poor and the indigenous population seek to continue their customary use of forest resources, while government institutions, along with the armed forces and capitalist entrepreneurs aim to grab land and commercialize the assets of the park for entertainment, tourism, and real estate development. A third set of actors seeks to conserve the fragile environment of the Margallas.

Philipp Zehmisch conducts research and teaches Anthropology at the South Asia Institute, with earlier spells in Lahore, Bielefeld and Munich. His postdoctoral research investigates everyday ethics, politics and ecologies in Pakistan and India.