Living with Leopards: Negotiating Morality and Modernity in Western India

Abstract

The relationships between humans and large carnivores are complex and dynamic. In this article, we explore the emergence of two such relations through a case study from India, where humans and leopards share space and resources. These relations between humans and leopards emerge from two distinct ontological practices. One is the “modern” practice of conservation in which the human–leopard relationship is shaped through the creation of dichotomies. The other is a “nonmodern” practice that locates humans and leopards in a constellation of moral and social relations. In this article, we compare these two practices to highlight their inherent power dynamics and argue that both operate simultaneously by co-opting and accommodating each other. Theoretically, we argue that these interactions emerge from a located history of relations negotiated and ordered through the actions of different actors.

Keywords:

• human–nature relations
• large carnivore conservation
• society–nature dichotomies

Acknowledgments

We thank Faye Remedios, Hans Nicolai Adam, Ketil Skogen, Nicolas Lescureux and Pål Olav Vedeld for commenting on earlier drafts of this article.