Beyond artificial academic debates: for a diverse, inclusive, and impactful ethnobiology and ethnomedicine
Abstract In answer to the question “Should ethnobiology and ethnomedicine more decisively foster hypothesis-driven forefront research able to turn findings into policy and abandon more classical folkloric studies?”, in this essay I argue that a major strength of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine is the...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-023-00611-6 |
| _version_ | 1797451781161091072 |
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| author | Victoria Reyes-García |
| author_facet | Victoria Reyes-García |
| author_sort | Victoria Reyes-García |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In answer to the question “Should ethnobiology and ethnomedicine more decisively foster hypothesis-driven forefront research able to turn findings into policy and abandon more classical folkloric studies?”, in this essay I argue that a major strength of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine is their ability to bridge theories and methods from the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. Hypothesis-driven research is a powerful way to structure thinking that can lead to forefront research findings. But hypothesis-driven research is not the only way to structure thinking and is not a necessary condition to impact policymaking. To increase policy impact, ethnobiology and ethnomedicine should continue nurturing a mixture of complementary methods and inclusive approaches as fragmentation through opposing different approaches might weaken the discipline. Moreover, with the aim to play a fundamental role in building bridges between different knowledge systems and co-producing solutions towards sustainability, the discipline could benefit from enlarging its epistemological grounds through more collaborative research. Ethnobiologists' research findings, hypothesis-driven, descriptive, or co-constructed can become leverage points to transform knowledge into actionable outcomes in different levels of decision-making. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T14:59:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b81b6246ff8e49fd8934880ff593b2c5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1746-4269 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T14:59:21Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-b81b6246ff8e49fd8934880ff593b2c52023-11-26T14:00:36ZengBMCJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine1746-42692023-09-011911410.1186/s13002-023-00611-6Beyond artificial academic debates: for a diverse, inclusive, and impactful ethnobiology and ethnomedicineVictoria Reyes-García0Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA)Abstract In answer to the question “Should ethnobiology and ethnomedicine more decisively foster hypothesis-driven forefront research able to turn findings into policy and abandon more classical folkloric studies?”, in this essay I argue that a major strength of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine is their ability to bridge theories and methods from the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. Hypothesis-driven research is a powerful way to structure thinking that can lead to forefront research findings. But hypothesis-driven research is not the only way to structure thinking and is not a necessary condition to impact policymaking. To increase policy impact, ethnobiology and ethnomedicine should continue nurturing a mixture of complementary methods and inclusive approaches as fragmentation through opposing different approaches might weaken the discipline. Moreover, with the aim to play a fundamental role in building bridges between different knowledge systems and co-producing solutions towards sustainability, the discipline could benefit from enlarging its epistemological grounds through more collaborative research. Ethnobiologists' research findings, hypothesis-driven, descriptive, or co-constructed can become leverage points to transform knowledge into actionable outcomes in different levels of decision-making.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-023-00611-6Biological indicesCo-production of knowledgeEpistemologyIndigenous and local knowledgeMethods |
| spellingShingle | Victoria Reyes-García Beyond artificial academic debates: for a diverse, inclusive, and impactful ethnobiology and ethnomedicine Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine Biological indices Co-production of knowledge Epistemology Indigenous and local knowledge Methods |
| title | Beyond artificial academic debates: for a diverse, inclusive, and impactful ethnobiology and ethnomedicine |
| title_full | Beyond artificial academic debates: for a diverse, inclusive, and impactful ethnobiology and ethnomedicine |
| title_fullStr | Beyond artificial academic debates: for a diverse, inclusive, and impactful ethnobiology and ethnomedicine |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beyond artificial academic debates: for a diverse, inclusive, and impactful ethnobiology and ethnomedicine |
| title_short | Beyond artificial academic debates: for a diverse, inclusive, and impactful ethnobiology and ethnomedicine |
| title_sort | beyond artificial academic debates for a diverse inclusive and impactful ethnobiology and ethnomedicine |
| topic | Biological indices Co-production of knowledge Epistemology Indigenous and local knowledge Methods |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-023-00611-6 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT victoriareyesgarcia beyondartificialacademicdebatesforadiverseinclusiveandimpactfulethnobiologyandethnomedicine |