Does Cognition Still Matter in Ethnobiology?

Abstract

Ethnobiology has become increasingly concerned with applied and normative questions about biocultural diversity and the livelihoods of local communities. While this development has created new opportunities for connecting ethnobiological research with ecological and social sciences, it also raises questions about the role of cognitive perspectives in current ethnobiology. In fact, there are clear signs of institutional separation as research on folkbiological cognition has increasingly found its home in the cognitive science community, weakening its ties to institutionalized ethnobiology. Rather than accepting this separation as inevitable disciplinary specialization, this short perspective article argues for a systemic perspective that addresses mutual influences and causal entanglement of cognitive and non-cognitive factors in socio-ecological dynamics. Such an integrative perspective requires a new conversation about cognition in ethnobiology beyond traditional polarization around issues of cognitive universals and cultural relativity.

Philosophy of Ethnobiology: Understanding Knowledge Integration and Its Limitations

“…While ethnobiology has grown into a vibrant interdisciplinary field, it also often remains insufficiently connected with wider theoretical debates (Ludwig 2018c). Lepofsky and Wolverton (2018:454) note that "the reach of ethnobiology remains limited in scope" and argue for the need to increase its "visibility in and relevance to global social-ecological discussions."…”

Ethnoontology: Ways of world‐building across cultures

“…The contribution of these factors (strength of the solid arrows) varies between categories. Furthermore, factors interact with each other (dotted arrows), requiring a systemic perspective on category formation (Ludwig, 2018c) environments and different ways of organizing conservation policy (Nadasdy, 2003)? How should concerns about ecological sustainability and the knowledge rights of traditional cultures be balanced against the desire to share the fruits of rich ethnomedical knowledge (Pushpangadan, George, Ijinu, & Rajasekharan, 2017;Voeks, 2018)?…”

Addressing Social-Ecological Systems across Temporal and Spatial Scales: a Conceptual Synthesis for Ethnobiology

“…However, as Ludwig (2018) argued, these inter-and transdisciplinary promises of programmatic articles do not match the often-fragmented multidisciplinary reality of the field. Indeed, ethnobiology provides space for researchers with heterogeneous training in the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.…”