Making a Good Life: An Ethnography of Nature, Ethics, and Reproduction

249 Pages·2016·8.922 MB·English

by  Katharine Dow

Making a Good Life

Making a
Good Life
An Ethnography of Nature,
Ethics, and Reproduction
K AT H A R I N E
D OW
Princeton University Press
Princeton & Oxford
Copyright © 2016 by Princeton University Press
Published by Princeton University Press
41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540
In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press
6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TR
press.princeton.edu
Jacket art courtesy of iStock
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Dow, Katharine, 1982– author.
Title: Making a good life : an ethnography of nature, ethics,
and reproduction / Katharine Dow.
Description: Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2016] | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015037390 | ISBN 9780691167480 (cloth : acid-free
paper) | ISBN 9780691171753 (pbk. : acid-free paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Human reproduction—Social aspects. | Anthropology.
Classification: LCC HQ766 .D68 2016 | DDC 301—dc23 LC record
available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015037390
British Library Cataloging- in- Publication Data is available
This book has been composed in Granjon LT Std
Printed on acid- free paper. ∞
Printed in the United States of America
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
This book is dedicated to the future generations.

Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Prologue: The Sperm Whale’s Teeth 1
Introduction: Life in a Nature Reserve 7
// Where the River Meets the Sea 50
1 Ethical Labour 55
// Beginnings 81
2 Future Generations 83
// The Water of Life 103
3 Origin Stories 107
// Arrivals 129
4 Ties That Bind 134
// The Sperm Whale’s Teeth Revisited 161
5 Money Talks 164
// You’ve Been Trumped! 184
6 A Stable Environment 187
Notes 201
Bibliography 217
Index 229

Acknowledgements
My first and most obvious debt of gratitude goes to the residents
of Spey Bay and the surrounding area who let me share their
lives for the time I lived there. Living with you was formative
for me in every way, and this book is only one fraction of every-
thing I learned from you. In particular, I owe so much to the
women I have called Sophie, Charlotte, Erin, and Willow— you
know who you are and I hope you know how much I appreciate
all you have done for me, as well as your continuing friendship.
Thanks also to John Mackie for putting into words everything
that is beautiful and strange about Spey Bay and for being a
wise and true friend.
My constant source of mentorship throughout my academic
career has been Sarah Franklin, without whom this book would
not have been possible. Your enthusiasm for my tales of Donald
Trump, dolphin trivia, and encouragement of my literary id-
iosyncrasies have fuelled my confidence, whilst your immense
insight has kept me from splashing about aimlessly. I must also
thank my colleagues at the University of Cambridge, especially
Janelle Lamoreaux, for advice, support, and sharing so many of
my peculiar preoccupations, and Karen Jent and Zeynep Gurtin
for reading various versions and for invaluable editorial sugges-
tions. Thanks to Rhiannon Williams for keeping us all on track
and for the wonderful map of Spey Bay.
I am very grateful to Eric Schwartz, my initial editor at
Princeton University Press, for all the work he did to secure
my contract and to Sarah Caro and Hannah Paul for taking on
my project after Eric left for pastures new. I would also like to
thank Ali Parrington for taking the book through the produc-
tion process and Jenn Backer for her thorough copyediting and
thoughtful comments. I am especially indebted to the two anon-
ymous reviewers of my manuscript for their excellent advice and
constructive criticism.