Science, nature, society: a cultural and environmental history of the dugong in the Asia-Pacific

• Main Author: Koh, Ethan Jia Kit
• Other Authors: Ivy Yeh
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Arts and Humanities
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/174459
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This thesis explores the cultural and environmental history of the dugong in the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on maritime Southeast Asia, British Australia, post-independence Malaysia, and Singapore. It argues that knowledge related to the dugong in these regions was not uniform but rather characterized by complex contradictions and negotiations among historical actors. This study challenges the perception that knowledge, whether scientific, private, or represented in the press, is a monolithic discourse constructed solely by authority figures. Through an examination of the dugong's taxonomy, ontology, population, and its role in environmentalism respectively, it explores how understandings of the dugong have emerged through ongoing negotiation across various segments of society. These negotiations are not strictly top- down or bottom-up but must be understood within their respective historical context. By highlighting the instability of debates surrounding the dugong throughout history, this thesis emphasizes the importance of epistemic humility in approaches to the conservation and management of marine mammals.