Home
Manuscript Submission
HER Editors and Staff
Society for Human Ecology
Search HER Contents

Issue 12.1 Abstracts

Contents Page

Realism without Reductionism: Toward an Ecologically Embedded Sociology

By Michael S. Carolan

Building off of the path-breaking works of Roy Bhaskar—and in particular his philosophical position of critical realism—this paper works toward a realignment of sociology with the life and ecological sciences. Sociology has been cautious of looking too far into the realm of the biophysical for causal potentials out of fear that such analyses might mark the beginning of a slippery slope toward biological reductionism. Yet, as this paper argues, such fears of reductionism are conceptually misguided. Critical realism argues that reality is stratified, rooted, and emergent. Consequently, to bracket social life from those levels “beneath” it—or, in some cases, to write out nature entirely (e.g., discursive theory and “strong” social constructionism)—is to approach the study of those phenomena with a degree of institutionalized blindness. Instead, this paper argues that sociology must open its doors to all causal potentials, regardless of where this search may lead.

Keywords: critical realism, evolution, ecology, determinism, sociology, environment

Back to top

Disentangling Tagbanua Lifeways, Swidden, and Conservation

By Wolfram Dressler

Over this past century the Philippine state has sustained a campaign to criminalize swidden cultivation among small-scale farmers in the uplands of Palawan Island . This paper focuses on how such state conservation agendas unfolded to negatively affect swidden cultivation among the Tagbanua people who occupy upland areas flanking Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park . Ethnographic methods were used to examine a specific case where the traditional linkages between swidden cultivation and honey collection —the basis of Tagbanua livelihoods and cultural beliefs— were devalued as coercive conservation proliferated at the national park. Park managers upheld the state's conservation discourse that swidden disrupted “equilibrium” between livelihoods and forest ecology and, upon enforcing such views, neglected the local embeddedness of swidden cultivation. The conclusion asserts that park management can be enhanced on both moral and practical grounds by building on the interrelated ecological and cultural value of swidden cultivation.

Keywords : coercive conservation, swidden, honey bees, Tagbanua, Palawan

Back to top

Getting to "We": Examining the Relationship between Geographic Scale and Ingroup Emergence in Collaborative Watershed Planning

By Anthony S. Cheng and Steven E. Daniels

We examine the relationship between geographic scale and the emergence and transformation of “ingroup” effects using data from a qualitative comparative case study of two collaborative watershed planning efforts in Oregon . Evidence of ingroup effects is far stronger in the small watershed planning group where stakeholder perceptions of and patterns of interactions with one another centered on common group identifications. In the large-scale planning group, stakeholders perceive and interact with one another based on organizational affiliation. Furthermore, the geographic scale of the watershed planning process influences how watershed issues are framed. In the small-scale watershed group, watershed issues are framed as a direct relationship between watershed health and community well-being. As a result, stakeholders began to view themselves as members of a shared community, a new ingroup. In the large-scale watershed group, watershed issues are framed in terms of regional conservation efforts, with no direct link between watershed health and community well-being. As a result, community stakeholders view organizational representatives as belonging to a different, opposing group. Our examination suggests that the relationship between geographic scale and ingroup effects can contribute to mutually acceptable outcomes among stakeholders. As such, the geographic scale at which collaborative resource planning efforts occur merits attention.

Back to Top

The Land Classification System of the San Nicolas Zoyatlan (S. Mexico) Nahuatl Indigenous Community: A Basis for a Suitable Parametric Soil Use Proposal

By Virginia Cervantes Gutierrez, Jorge E. Gama-Castro, Gilberto Hernandez-Cardenas, and Jorge E. Meave del Castillo

The incorporation of ethnopedological knowledge to soil science and the inclusion of indigenous communities as beneficiaries of the agricultural technology are indispensable premises to make a better use of soil. However, to achieve this, it is necessary to have clearer communication and understanding between peasants and soil specialists. This paper contributes to the understanding of the way in which the ethnopedologic knowledge of the community of Zoyatlán ( Mexico ) has been used in making decisions on soil management and production. It also proposes a methodological alternative that will contribute to the communication among land users and soil specialists.

Our results show that Zoyatlán peasants identify seven soil types grouped in four classes according to their agricultural suitability. These classes are determined by distinctive land properties that enclose six agronomic characteristics of the topsoil and four specific characteristics of the work area. Based on this criteria, we designed a parametric method assuming that the agricultural suitability of the land is determined by several characteristics of the topsoil; among them topsoil thickness was outstanding. This characteristic was susceptible to being represented parametrically by numerical values (obtained from a mathematical model), which is a single numerical expression of topsoil thickness performance. The application of this methodology provided information that is useful and can easily be interpreted by both the peasants and the soil specialists. Furthermore, this information can be represented at different cartographic scales.

Keywords : indigenous classification, geographical information systems, land use suitability, parametric method, topsoil

Back to top

Food Systems and Environment: Building Positive Rural-Urban Linkages

By Charles Francis, Geir Lieblein, Havard Steinsholt, Tor Arvid Breland, Juha Helenius, Nadarajah Sriskandarajah, and Lennart Salomonsson

Urbanization increases the physical and mental distances between urban and rural residents and separates city people from knowledge about where and how their food is grown. We recognize an increasing interest in diet and health, as well as the environment, yet at the same time most urban consumers' focus only on product quality and price in the supermarket. Broader issues of environmental health and the economies of families where their food originates are external to most food buying decisions. In most industrialized countries, less than 5% of the population produces food, and there is a relatively secure food supply. When consumers are distant from where food is produced, many lose any appreciation of food systems, become indifferent about agricultural landscapes, and are unaware of the multiple ecosystem services provided by rural areas. This is part of a general de-contextualization of the modern market and monetary focused societies. Contextualization and positive linkages between urban and rural people can be built, however, by promoting local food systems and establishing connections to the rural landscape. Viable examples of positive linkages include on-farm direct sales, community supported agriculture and farmers' markets, locally grown food in supermarkets, and ecobelts that help to link rural and urban areas with activities of common interest. Urban people who are closer to their food supply can become more engaged and informed consumers who will support an ecologically-sound food production system, as well as appreciate a healthy multifunctional rural landscape.

Back to top

Toward a Martian Land Ethic

By Richard York

Aldo Leopold's (1970 [1949]) plea for a land ethic, for an appreciation of the connection of humanity to the community of nature, inspired a generation of environmental activists and scientists and helped usher in the modern environmental movement. Although, since the first publication of A Sand County Almanac , modern civilization has continued its march toward the complete domination of wild nature, some of its members have cultivated a respect for the land in line with Leopold's vision. As we move into a new era, one in which humanity's reach extends beyond the Earth (indeed, one in which humanity's refuse, in the form of spacecraft, is already strewn across our planetary neighbors), we must now ask, should a land ethic be extended to other worlds? This question forces us to consider whether we should value extraterrestrial life, if it does exist, as we do that of Earth and whether we have ethical obligations to even (apparently) lifeless worlds and their alien landscapes.

Keywords: land ethic, Mars, planetary park system

Back to top