Evolutionary ethnobiology and cultural evolution: opportunities for research and dialog
Abstract The interest in theoretical frameworks that improve our understanding of social-ecological systems is growing within the field of ethnobiology. Several evolutionary questions may underlie the relationships between people and the natural resources that are investigated in this field. A new b...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2018-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13002-017-0199-y |
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| author | Flávia Rosa Santoro André Luiz Borba Nascimento Gustavo Taboada Soldati Washington Soares Ferreira Júnior Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque |
| author_facet | Flávia Rosa Santoro André Luiz Borba Nascimento Gustavo Taboada Soldati Washington Soares Ferreira Júnior Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque |
| author_sort | Flávia Rosa Santoro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The interest in theoretical frameworks that improve our understanding of social-ecological systems is growing within the field of ethnobiology. Several evolutionary questions may underlie the relationships between people and the natural resources that are investigated in this field. A new branch of research, known as evolutionary ethnobiology (EE), focuses on these questions and has recently been formally conceptualized. The field of cultural evolution (CE) has significantly contributed to the development of this new field, and it has introduced the Darwinian concepts of variation, competition, and heredity to studies that focus on the dynamics of local knowledge. In this article, we introduce CE as an important theoretical framework for evolutionary ethnobiological research. We present the basic concepts and assumptions of CE, along with the adjustments that are necessary for its application in EE. We discuss different ethnobiological studies in the context of this new framework and the new opportunities for research that exist in this area. We also propose a dialog that includes our findings in the context of cultural evolution. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T12:02:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f8c58e77194d4e6bbbde56c0ef9ee6bc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1746-4269 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T12:02:02Z |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-f8c58e77194d4e6bbbde56c0ef9ee6bc2022-12-21T18:26:34ZengBMCJournal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine1746-42692018-01-0114111410.1186/s13002-017-0199-yEvolutionary ethnobiology and cultural evolution: opportunities for research and dialogFlávia Rosa Santoro0André Luiz Borba Nascimento1Gustavo Taboada Soldati2Washington Soares Ferreira Júnior3Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque4Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Social-ecological Systems, Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de PernambucoLaboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Social-ecological Systems, Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de PernambucoDepartamento de Botanica, Universidade Federal de Juiz de ForaUniversidade de PernambucoLaboratory of Ecology and Evolution of Social-ecological Systems, Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de PernambucoAbstract The interest in theoretical frameworks that improve our understanding of social-ecological systems is growing within the field of ethnobiology. Several evolutionary questions may underlie the relationships between people and the natural resources that are investigated in this field. A new branch of research, known as evolutionary ethnobiology (EE), focuses on these questions and has recently been formally conceptualized. The field of cultural evolution (CE) has significantly contributed to the development of this new field, and it has introduced the Darwinian concepts of variation, competition, and heredity to studies that focus on the dynamics of local knowledge. In this article, we introduce CE as an important theoretical framework for evolutionary ethnobiological research. We present the basic concepts and assumptions of CE, along with the adjustments that are necessary for its application in EE. We discuss different ethnobiological studies in the context of this new framework and the new opportunities for research that exist in this area. We also propose a dialog that includes our findings in the context of cultural evolution.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13002-017-0199-yCultural transmissionHuman behaviorSocial learningSocial-ecological systemsTraditional ecological knowledge |
| spellingShingle | Flávia Rosa Santoro André Luiz Borba Nascimento Gustavo Taboada Soldati Washington Soares Ferreira Júnior Ulysses Paulino Albuquerque Evolutionary ethnobiology and cultural evolution: opportunities for research and dialog Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine Cultural transmission Human behavior Social learning Social-ecological systems Traditional ecological knowledge |
| title | Evolutionary ethnobiology and cultural evolution: opportunities for research and dialog |
| title_full | Evolutionary ethnobiology and cultural evolution: opportunities for research and dialog |
| title_fullStr | Evolutionary ethnobiology and cultural evolution: opportunities for research and dialog |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evolutionary ethnobiology and cultural evolution: opportunities for research and dialog |
| title_short | Evolutionary ethnobiology and cultural evolution: opportunities for research and dialog |
| title_sort | evolutionary ethnobiology and cultural evolution opportunities for research and dialog |
| topic | Cultural transmission Human behavior Social learning Social-ecological systems Traditional ecological knowledge |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13002-017-0199-y |
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