Revisiting the Resilience of Chestnut Forests in Corsica: from Social-Ecological Systems Theory to Political Ecology
The "chestnut civilization" is often used to qualify agrarian inland Corsica. Based on a critical review of historical sources and research on present dynamics, we show how this "civilization" has built up on a long series of resistance and adaptation to external political forces...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Resilience Alliance
2011-06-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Society |
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| Online Access: | http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol16/iss2/art5/ |
| _version_ | 1819010366566301696 |
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| author | Genevieve Michon |
| author_facet | Genevieve Michon |
| author_sort | Genevieve Michon |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The "chestnut civilization" is often used to qualify agrarian inland Corsica. Based on a critical review of historical sources and research on present dynamics, we show how this "civilization" has built up on a long series of resistance and adaptation to external political forces, from Genovese and French domination up to the present period of independence claims. The construction of the castagnetu, the Corsican chestnut (Castanea sativa mill.) forest, as a social-ecological system is based on a constantly evolving compromise between wild and domestic attributes, but also on socio-political resistance, incorporation, and innovation. We argue that the castagnetu's resilience, beyond its social-ecological qualities and its economic profitability, is closely linked to a constant incorporation of identity and cultural values into chestnut trees and gardens, but also to the role assigned to the castagnetu by its supporters in the political positioning of their relations to both central power and outside actors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T01:11:07Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5e238f94fa9c4f6bbb085201960b5e28 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1708-3087 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T01:11:07Z |
| publishDate | 2011-06-01 |
| publisher | Resilience Alliance |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Society |
| spelling | doaj.art-5e238f94fa9c4f6bbb085201960b5e282022-12-21T19:20:56ZengResilience AllianceEcology and Society1708-30872011-06-01162510.5751/ES-04087-1602054087Revisiting the Resilience of Chestnut Forests in Corsica: from Social-Ecological Systems Theory to Political EcologyGenevieve Michon0IRDThe "chestnut civilization" is often used to qualify agrarian inland Corsica. Based on a critical review of historical sources and research on present dynamics, we show how this "civilization" has built up on a long series of resistance and adaptation to external political forces, from Genovese and French domination up to the present period of independence claims. The construction of the castagnetu, the Corsican chestnut (Castanea sativa mill.) forest, as a social-ecological system is based on a constantly evolving compromise between wild and domestic attributes, but also on socio-political resistance, incorporation, and innovation. We argue that the castagnetu's resilience, beyond its social-ecological qualities and its economic profitability, is closely linked to a constant incorporation of identity and cultural values into chestnut trees and gardens, but also to the role assigned to the castagnetu by its supporters in the political positioning of their relations to both central power and outside actors.http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol16/iss2/art5/chestnutCorsicapolitical ecologyresiliencesocial-ecological systems |
| spellingShingle | Genevieve Michon Revisiting the Resilience of Chestnut Forests in Corsica: from Social-Ecological Systems Theory to Political Ecology Ecology and Society chestnut Corsica political ecology resilience social-ecological systems |
| title | Revisiting the Resilience of Chestnut Forests in Corsica: from Social-Ecological Systems Theory to Political Ecology |
| title_full | Revisiting the Resilience of Chestnut Forests in Corsica: from Social-Ecological Systems Theory to Political Ecology |
| title_fullStr | Revisiting the Resilience of Chestnut Forests in Corsica: from Social-Ecological Systems Theory to Political Ecology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Revisiting the Resilience of Chestnut Forests in Corsica: from Social-Ecological Systems Theory to Political Ecology |
| title_short | Revisiting the Resilience of Chestnut Forests in Corsica: from Social-Ecological Systems Theory to Political Ecology |
| title_sort | revisiting the resilience of chestnut forests in corsica from social ecological systems theory to political ecology |
| topic | chestnut Corsica political ecology resilience social-ecological systems |
| url | http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol16/iss2/art5/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT genevievemichon revisitingtheresilienceofchestnutforestsincorsicafromsocialecologicalsystemstheorytopoliticalecology |