Paper short abstract:

This paper seeks to examine the factors which have created and sustained some kinds of art in all known cultures. Art cannot, then, be treated as a pleasant afterthought, an epiphenomenon generated by the wealthy of society.

Paper long abstract:

Long Abstract: Some anthropologists have turned recently to the study of "materiality," which usually includes the plastic arts of societies. The arts of dance, theater, song and instrumentally produced music usually involves some kind of "material" whether that "material" is the human body or a slit drum made from a tree trunk. As contemporary industrialized societies treat the arts as luxuries that can, reluctantly but persistently, be excised from school curricula, researchers have found ways in which the arts enhance learning in other disciplines, e.g. math. Anthropologists are more likely to be familiar with the singing and dancing of the Kung Bushmen shown in one of John Marshall's and Robert Gardner's films, "The Bushmen of the Kalahari." A group that has been trying to live on the watermelons of kinsmen for 3 months have agreed to accept Marshall's offer to fix their water pump and return to their village. The night before they begin their long, hot journey they spend their time singing and dancing around the fire. As they walk the two-day hot journey on which many goats die from lack of water, one young man plays the thumb piano.

This paper explores some of the various factors which keep the arts going in conditions of plenty and also in conditions of major deprivation.

Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the perplexing, apparently arrested state of IK research in development contexts, focussing on political barriers to its effective incorporation, which extend from the international level to the local, including worries about political correctness.

Paper long abstract:

In this paper I propose to explore the apparently arrested state of IK research, which perplexes me because I thought that the emergence of interest in IK in development contexts in the late 20th century presented an unparalleled opportunity for socio-cultural anthropology, which I predicted the discipline would seize on, particularly with ever increasing political pressures on it to demonstrate the relevance of its activities. The arrest relates to a larger set of circumstances. While The Future We Want -- the document resulting from the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) -- recognises the importance of indigenous peoples' participation in achieving sustainable development - a step in the right direction - it lacks substance when it comes to telling us how this might be achieved, which in part reflects the political sticking points to the implementation of such declarations. Such political barriers exist from the international level to the local, as the IK initiative shows, depending in considerable part on the participatory movement in development, which has encountered substantial political challenges when seeking to actualise participation. These problems are compounded by concerns for political correctness (PC), which has emerged in tandem with postmodernism and its concerns for subjectivity. They prompt some to express disquiet about both the words 'indigenous' and 'knowledge' - 'who is indigenous' and 'what is knowledge'? These intimate some of the PC barriers to IK research; others include worries about interfering in others' lives, facilitating exploitation of their knowledge and even furthering the commodification of their cultural ways.

Paper short abstract:

Disaster research deals with conducting field and survey research on group, organizational and community preparation for, response to, and recovery from natural and technological disasters and other community-wide crises. Disaster is deeply embedded in society’s political, economic, and cultural structures as well as people’s collective psyche about safety and security. This paper discusses an interdisciplinary project in disaster research that aims at creating viable modeling and simulation (ModSim) scenarios of population evacuation within the Northern Virginia portion of the Capital Region of the United States. ModSim provides reports in multiple data formats, detailing the evolution of possible evacuation scenarios, that include assessments of shortages of fuel, shelter, water, minor and major medical care, or other critical factors related to natural disasters. Disaster reveals much about society. At the time of disaster, underlying social problems tend to get magnified and exercises, recent cases of disaster have been examined in details in order to identify key categories of sociological and behavioral variables.

Paper long abstract:

This paper discusses an interdisciplinary project in disaster research that aims at creating viable modeling and simulation (ModSim) scenarios of population evacuation within the Northern Virginia portion of the Capital Region of the United States. ModSim provides reports in multiple data formats, detailing the evolution of possible evacuation scenarios, that include assessments of shortages of fuel, shelter, water, minor and major medical care, or other critical factors related to natural disasters. Disaster reveals much about society. At the time of disaster, underlying social problems tend to get magnified and exercises, recent cases of disaster have been examined in details in order to identify key categories of sociological and behavioral variables. These variables may include: the population's awareness and memory of past critical disasters/incidents; the indigenous concepts of threat, danger, and safety; their relationship with authority and civic governance; information-sharing networks (that include rumor-grapevines and social media); geo-political demography and vulnerability of specific sectors; and physical as well as socio-cultural barriers embedded in the existing infrastructure. ModSim explores contingency-based logistics and redundancy/alternative methods of crisis management, with an idea that any proposed plans can fail. The objective of this work is to identify minimum key requirements concerning indigenous knowledge and possible behavioral patterns of the population, not only for formal administration and implementation, but also for predicting activities played out by others such as global media, rescue teams, international organizations, NGOs, citizen volunteers, and, most importantly, the community people themselves.

Paper short abstract:

Folk heritage in observing Nature is unique data. This data is urgent for solving actual problems in human health and in using renewable resources. Many Folk technologies/ decisions in Nature using are interesting for Modern society in guiding toward sustainability.

Paper long abstract:

The broadening of knowledge about Nature and the world around is one of actual problems of Modern society. Imbalance in the Human-Nature-Society system (the result of surplus pressure of industrial society on the Nature) stipulates the necessity of searching for a way, a new model for future society's development in light of the goal of sustainability. This way is based (according to the opinion of investigators in problems in Nature-Society relationships) on reduction of pressure on the Nature through using technologies and practices friendly to Nature.

Folk/ Indigenous culture fixed unique data, decisions (and technologies) that are quite effective and useful for using Nature in a regime of spare. This presentation will focus on the specificity of Folk Modes of Life and techniques which have been used for getting unique data about Nature. Special attention will be paid to problems of the exploitation of Folk heritage in observing Nature for Modern life, and for creating effective technologies that are guarantees of human Life-support activities in a regime of priorities required by the goal of Sustainable Development.

Paper short abstract:

This paper presents the insights derived from archaeological and ethnographical evidence of Mexico and Central America that allow reconstructing the traditional knowledge of earthen architecture in the humid tropics, an environment generally considered adverse for this type of construction.

Paper long abstract:

Earthen architecture is a cheap, sustainable and bioclimatic alternative for housing, but its use in humid tropical conditions requires the development of specific strategies to make the raw earth surfaces resistant to heavy rains. Little understood, due to attention being lavished on building traditions in arid and semi- arid regions, earthen architecture in humid tropics is and has been successfully made and used through time for family and community dwellings in Mexico and Central America.

This paper presents data from a first millennium AD archaeological site on the Mexican Gulf Coast, where earth was used as a building material for monumental architecture (pyramids, palaces, ball courts). A multidisciplinary team researches the mineralogical, physical and chemical properties of the surface facings that made the buildings resistant to the adverse climatic conditions. On the other hand, ethnographic data from contemporary vernacular building in humid tropical valleys of Guatemala and El Salvador provide clues for the possible organic substances that gave the consolidant and hydrofugant quality to the facings. These converging lines of evidence may allow reconstructing the traditional technique for monumental earthen architecture developed by the Mesoamerican cultures.

Paper short abstract:

The indigenous knowledge of American Indians using plants like food and medicine is a precious source of wisdom, which is dying out. It is important to preserve this experience and use it as an alternative method to prevent and treat different diseases in today’s societies.

Paper long abstract:

Cherokee medicine is an example of Indian medicine that is a way of life for the Cherokee, and other American Indians. Indian medicine teaches an understanding of this way of life shows respect for every living thing here on Mother Earth, how each has its own beauty and is a helper to us.

American Indians lived a life of natural dependence in the forests, plains and costal regions, and existed in harmony with nature for many generations. Depending on the area, the Indians used wild species as plant food and medicine.

Berries of all kinds were eagerly gathered in the spring and eaten by everyone as a spring medicine, or as a general blood builder.

Training as an Indian Healer began very early. Selection was from the family or from signs of devotion, wisdom and honesty. The Indian healer was an artist in the best tradition of Hippocrates' principles.

The Sunflower is a sacred plant that appears in many Indian myths and stories.

Plants during that distant time served as food and medicines. This interrelation during many generations was fixed genetically. Thus, the health of the modern person in many respects depends on quality and the quantity of plants and herbs, acting with food, like biologically active substances. Therefore, plants and herbs as used by the Cherokee are one of the major alternative methods to improve health and prevent many diseases.

Paper short abstract:

International law protects the right of indigenous peoples to use of water: such legal guarantees are essential to the preservation of indigenous cultures.

Paper long abstract:

Indigenous communities depend on access to water in order to maintain their lives, their livelihoods and cultural traditions. Moreover, the international right to clean water is part and parcel of indigenous land rights. The preservation of indigenous communities and their knowledge contributes to the pursuit of equitable distribution of land and resources and environmental sustainability around the globe.

International law provides remedies to indigenous communities in their fight against privatization and pollution of their water by neoliberal governments and predatory corporations. Article 26 of the U.N. Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (207) states that: AIndigenous peoples have the right to land, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied and otherwise used or acquired.@ Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) states that indigenous peoples have the Aright to enjoy their own culture.@ This paper will examine the above international documents and other provisions of international law which have been used and may be used in the future by indigenous peoples in international tribunals and state courts to secure their access to clean water.

Paper short abstract:

This paper demonstrates the ECAI, UC Berkeley, and the Shung Ye Museum, Taipei, for projects with indigenous people. Research tools include visual anthropology, community discussions, life history interviews, GIS mapping, research in archives, and others for local community research.

Paper long abstract:

This paper demonstrates the Electronic Cultural Atlas Initiative (ECAI), UC Berkeley, and the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines, Taipei, for projects with indigenous people. Research tools include visual anthropology, community discussions, life history interviews, geographic information systems (GIS) mapping, research in archives, and others for local community research.

Methodologies developed use spatiotemporal mapping to enable tracing: development of cultural history, visualizing traditions and their transformations.

The work has studied the indigenous fishermen of southeast coastal Sri Lanka to better understand their lives and ways of living in the present after years of civil strife (1983-2009) and a tsunami (2004). This is of particular interest to me since I would like to know how the rebuilding of a community takes place after such social and material devastation. It is generally agreed that globally other destructive situations will continue to occur. At stake are the people who need to re-collect their lives and live on with a sense of cultural sustainability in modern civil society.

My question is - how could the results of my ethnographic case studies be applied toward developing viable guidelines for sustainable indigenous community rebuilding after years of human strife and natural crisis?

The outcome is a multi-dimensional interactive Web-based visual anthropology/ cultural atlas of indigenous peoples with vibrant ethnographic portraits serving as a local community bulletin board for scholarly exchange.

Paper short abstract:

The focus of this paper, based on field research in Micronesia, examines Kosraen temporal and spatial relationships, viewed through a Sociosemantics lens. How is the spoken language grounded in the cultural behavior of the real world of Kosraens?

Paper long abstract:

The focus of this paper, based on field research in Micronesia, examines Kosraen temporal and spatial relationships, viewed through a Sociosemantics lens. The basic problem in this paper raises this question: How is the spoken language grounded in the cultural behavior of the real world of Kosraens, a world in which is characterized by Kosraens interacting with each other in given events, situations and places? It is the world in which temporal and spatial relationships are found, for example, in social cooperation, which is essential for maintaining Kosraen harmony between cultural organization, maintenance and preservation, a necessary balance needed for the Kosraen survival. The examination of temporal and spatial components of Kosraen shows that an understanding of the impact they have on the sociocultural system is gained only through inspection of its social context, identified in this research as Sociosemantics.

This research uses the qualitative method of participation observation for data collection through extensive fieldwork, nearly 3 years in the field, during two separate trips in 1966 and 1972 plus 6 weeks in 1972 when many of the informants lived with the investigator. Additional research was conducted for an equivalent of 2 additional years of field work on Guam in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Kosraen, a Micronesian language and culture, is indigenous to Kosrae Island in the Eastern Caroline Island group of Micronesian Islands.

Paper short abstract:

In the Customary Land System of the Lavongais of Lavongai Island within the Pacific region a summary of an otherwise previously undocumented knowledge system of the people of Lavongai will be presented. The Customary Land system of the Lavongais will use material from interviews with surviving Lavongais to pull and piece together the various facets of the Customary Land System. It will cover questions such as Clan territorial lands and boundaries, occupancy and tenancy and ownership and user rights. Other aspects of the land system will include genealogies of descendents of territorial lands, land tenure and also the system of bestowing names on descendants as a means of identification etc. The physical and spiritual aspects of ensuring will also be included in the summary. To date, much of the salient features of the customary land system continue to remain undocumented. Associated challenges include the tradition of bestowing names on descendents to identify and connect persons to those lands. In modern times, the challenges are even more greater with population pressure imposed on the land and there is a need to ensure the traditional knowledge associated with the customary land are documented for heritage and sustainable requirements of the Lavongais. Already, with a lack of proper documentation of the clan lands and clan boundaries, outsiders have come in to undertake logging operations. Discussing the topic of the customary land system of the Lavongais at an International Conference such as the 17th IUAES Conference is an opportunity to have the knowledge system presented for discussion and commentary.

Paper long abstract:

The Customary Land system of the Lavongais will use material from interviews with surviving Lavongais to pull and piece together the various facets of the Customary Land System. It will cover questions such as Clan territorial lands and boundaries, occupancy and tenancy and ownership and user rights. Other aspects of the land system will include genealogies of descendents of territorial lands, land tenure and also the system of bestowing names on descendants as a means of identification etc. The physical and spiritual aspects of ensuring will also be included in the summary.

To date, much of the salient features of the customary land system continue to remain undocumented. Associated challenges include the tradition of bestowing names on descendents to identify and connect persons to those lands. In modern times, the challenges are even more greater with population pressure imposed on the land and there is a need to ensure the traditional knowledge associated with the customary land are documented for heritage and sustainable requirements of the Lavongais. Already, with a lack of proper documentation of the clan lands and clan boundaries, outsiders have come in to undertake logging operations.

Paper short abstract:

The paper examines the attributes of the extra-scientific knowledge that allows him to see the innovative potential for the formation of knowledge societies (syncretism, practical, technological, useful character).

Paper long abstract:

In accordance with a "strong programme" of social epistemology sociology should study and explain all kinds of knowledge, while remaining indifferent to the division of knowledge into true and false, the rational and the irrational. Any system of knowledge is important because each of them formed a particular social group in a particular social situation. The concept of the knowledge society, which was set in UNESCO documents, based on a similar position in this matter. For the formation of the knowledge society it is important to use and develop different kinds of knowledge.

The paper examines the attributes of the extra-scientific knowledge that allows him to see in the innovation potential for the formation of the knowledge society (syncretism, practical, technological, useful character). In addition, we characterize those factors and institutional arrangements that will realize this innovative potential. Special attention is given to the problem of reproduction and transmission of various forms of knowledge in the educational process. In particular, we are talking about the need to transform the education system in the context of the complex theories of intelligence. Researchers working in this direction, saying that intelligence can not be reduced only to the logical-mathematical or linguistic knowledge. They argue that there are many forms of intelligence (the social, emotional, communicative, bodily, spatial, interpersonal, naturalist, etc.). Each of these types of intelligence can be most effective for different activities. For the development of a variety of intellectual skills need a new culture of learning and new educational technologies.

Paper short abstract:

This paper is a small ethnographic documentation of Indigenous Knowledge of Rajbanshi agriculturists of northern West Bengal, India.

Paper long abstract:

This paper is a small ethnographic documentation of Indigenous Knowledge of Rajbanshi agriculturists of northern West Bengal, India. Rajbanshi is a caste-community overlap and as a huge social fold intake various heterogeneous groups in plains and uplands of sub-Himalayan northern west Bengal state of India.

Their informal experimentation, trial and error, folk life, tradition, cultural symbols, generation-wise intellectual reasoning are equally important to gather scattered indigenous knowledge traits and their cognate Indigenous Knowledge System extending from mode of production and division of labour to their structure and super structure. This is basically a qualitative study and will highlight various services by both Rajbanshi males and females to attain organic cultivation and management of biodiversity. North Bengal jungles, mountains and agrarian lands are biodiversity hotpots and like various other indigenous communities Rajbanshis show their contribution in production and food preservation. They have developed a lifestyle that may look poor but actually fitting into local environments. Their kitchen garden, highland and lowland cultivations and use of forest and water resources and cattle hordes cum poultry develop together a complex system that can serve a wider public.

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Paper short abstract:

Due to contacts with European traders in the early 1800s, peoples in Guadalcanal began to move down from the bush and towards the coast and to live in larger groups (villages). Island people often do not have terms for North and South, but often do have terms for "towards the coast" and "towards the bush." The Vaturanga have come to dissect and dichtomize their environment adding a dimesion of time to the directional coordinates. The two environments require different responses and different behaviours.

Paper long abstract:

From the early 19th century the peoples of Guadalcanal had increasingly regular contacts with European traders. This initiated a profound shift in the nature of settlement, a reconfiguration in the pattern of life, and a reorientation of economic life towards the coast and away from the bush. The Vaturanga have four terms for the directions, as we do, but they are not identical to ours. Although they have east and west, for an island people living only 8 degrees south of the equator, north and south are somewhat irrelevant. Instead, the additional directions are to the bush (longa) and towards the sea (tasi). Two hundred years ago, Vaturanga typically lived in small hamlets in the bush. But once trade items became available, people moved down to the coast and formed villages. The coast was also more dangerous, as such, the people of this area converted to Christianity (Melanesian Mission) and began to associate the coast with a new way of life, and the bush with earlier pre-contact practices. Today the demarcation between tasi and longa forms a powerful ideology. Tasi is almost "profane" filled with many modern economic and environmental practices. But longa remains "ancestral" and must be treated with special care. This paper will look at the ways the past and present are symbolically mapped upon the landscape in these directional coordinates, and how this has led to a perception of a dichotomous environment each portion of which requires very different responses.

Paper short abstract:

This paper analyzes indigenous knowledge in Sri Lanka with a view of examining whether there is anything useful in seeking solutions for current economic and social problems in the world. The characteristics of indigenous knowledge teach us a good lesson on ‘collective decision making’ in the society.

Paper long abstract:

Warming, peace, food security are current issues and problems discussed always in the global economic platform. By analyzing these problems, some researchers argue that present models are not suitable in finding solutions to current economic and social problems. With a view of filling this gap this paper looks into selected early economic activities based on indigenous knowledge in Sri Lanka. The paper reviews historical evidence and interview people who are familiar with indigenous knowledge. Findings show that human activities based on indigenous knowledge was environmental friendly. During the period of this knowledge, people worked corporately and collectively as much as possible without taking earning money as their the major objective. And resources were not wasted. These characteristics of indigenous knowledge are competitive but based on consensuses and may be useful in seeking solutions for global warming and arming.

Paper short abstract:

Knowledge of birds constitutes important ecological knowledge. This paper, based on research in Taiwan, examines Truku cognitive and symbolic avian worlds. How do the Truku understand birds? How can this knowledge contribute to sustainable development, especially in an era of climate change?

Paper long abstract:

Knowledge of birds, whether they are appreciated for their beauty, hunted and eaten, or consulted as oracles, constitutes important ecological knowledge. Birds can be critical indicator species, signs of overall ecological health. The Truku, in particular, use the Taiwan Fulvetta (Alcippe formosana) as an oracle bird in hunting and trapping. This may be similar to ways in which human hunters have hunted with ravens for millennia. In fact, throughout Southeast Asia and Oceania, the use of different species as oracle birds and emissaries of the ancestors is very common. Indigenous avian knowledge may thus be useful to sustainable forestry, and may even contribute to knowledge about climate change.

Taiwan is ideal for ethnoecological research due to high ecological and ethnic diversity. Taiwan's 500+ bird species account for 5.4% of the world's bird species, despite the island's small size. Taiwan's Austronesian peoples are classified into 14 indigenous peoples, all of whom have local knowledge about birds and other living things. Like indigenous peoples everywhere, Taiwan's Austronesian minorities possess myths about birds, use decorative feathers, hunt birds, and consult bird oracles.

This paper, based on fieldwork in two Truku villages in the highlands of Taiwan, examines Truku cognitive and symbolic avian worlds. How do the Truku understand birds? What symbolic meaning do birds have? What is the relationship between the utilitarian and symbolic dimensions of their rapport with birds? How can this knowledge contribute to the goals of sustainable development on forest land, especially in our era of potentially devastating climate change?

Paper short abstract:

This presentation will discuss the application of indigenous knowledge and techniques about the habitat of wild animals. The case study is focus on the hunting activity in and around the plantation and planted forest. The new knowledge and techniques are acquired through the every hunting experience.

Paper long abstract:

This presentation will discuss the application of indigenous knowledge and techniques about the habitat of wild animals. The case study is focus on the hunting activity in and around the plantation and planted forest. The natural forests in the tropical area have been drastically degraded due to the commercial logging for these decades. In South-East Asian countries, the expansion of oil palm and acacia plantation is remarkable after the peak of commercial logging. With these situations, this presentation focuses on the acquisition of new knowledge and techniques about the wild animals in and around the plantation. Although plantation or planted forest is not natural forest, local people still continue hunting in the new environment. In these areas, people observe the habitat of wild animals in detail and try to hunt them with the new methods. People acquire new knowledge and techniques about wild animals. After the degradation of natural forest in tropical area, its effect to human-natural relationships and disappear of indigenous knowledge are apprehended.　On the other hand, this study considers the possibility of acquiring new knowledge and techniques in the new environment under the sudden expansion of plantation.

Paper short abstract:

Wood has played an important role in the livelihood of the peasants of Siberia: the people here found the food, source of medicines and vitality. Here, sheltered from society and government. Not surprisingly, one of the days of the Holy Trinity was dedicated to the Forest ("Forest Day"), when there were restrictions on the use of forest treasures.

Paper long abstract:

The problem of interaction of the environment and living in the depths of her people, formed almost from the start of converting human activities, is multidimensional. Ethnological approach allows us to speak about the interaction with the environment is not a faceless person, not an abstract society, but specific historical forms of culture. The forest has played an important role as the livelihood of the peasants of Siberia: people here have found the food source of vitality in close connection with the dates of the calendar. Here, sheltered from society and state, for example, the Old Believers.

In ceremonies to strengthen the children's viability peasants of Baraba region dragged through the split of a birch their diseased firstborns, leaving old clothes. Everywhere birch branches wash in the bathhouse on the eve of the Trinity in the hope of getting a good stock of health. Birch, aspen and other trees in the forest were important in the rites of divination, medical practice; with respect to their system of prohibitions were.

Peasant calendar with its repetition of cycles of life, including those associated with recourse to the treasures of the forest, was connected with the circulation of the seasons, contributed to minimal anthropogenic pressures on the environment and the existence of friendly relations with nature.

Paper short abstract:

Sacred groves are the abodes of deities of indigenous peoples in India reflect the conservation of bio diversities and renew cultural identities.

Paper long abstract:

Sacred groves are the patches of forests or trees , which are the abodes of deities or spirits reflect the religious affiliation as the deities are either worshiped . The ethnic identity is viewed also. As an institution it also interprets preservation and conservation of plants, herbs, climbers existing in the place. There are good number of medicinal plants are available in the sacred groves , which depict the ethno-medicinal traditions. The present sacred grove though small in size , in essence represents the concept the traditional way in-situ conservation of plants and forests. This also provides social space wherein tribal renew the cultural identities and find social solidarity.

Attempt has been in this paper studying sacred groves in the tribal Villages of West Bengal of India studying festivals, festivities and rituals for showing conservation of bio-diversities and tradition.

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Paper short abstract:

Reproductive child health is one of the vital issues for most of the human settlements and particularly for tribal communities. Use of indigenous knowledge is the common practice for health care among tribal because of their poor economic condition, cultural prescriptions and lack of awareness.

Paper long abstract:

The present study is being carried out in the villages of Koraput block of Koraput district which are well connected by roads and not far from the headquarter hospital. The objective is to explore the visibility of the modern medicines, the importance of the indigenous knowledge system, status of education, role of awareness programmes and role of the economic empowerment for the realization of the basic human rights among these villagers.

The villages are mostly inhabited by tribal communities which depend on the traditional knowledge to mitigate the health hazards concerning the reproductive and child health. Both child and women are integral part of the family and yet their health hazards are not addressed by the family members. Use of indigenous knowledge and medicines (herbal) are more common in case of child birth, its development as an adolescent girl, her first pregnancy and number of pregnancies thereafter. Despite their close proximity to the district headquarter hospital or the PHCs, their poor socio-economic condition, tribal culture and gender bias deprive them to avail the facilities at the hospital and to use the modern medicines. Various awareness programmes on health safety have very little impacts on these communities except availing the benefits of reproductive and child health programmes offered by the government.

Paper short abstract:

The paper will analyze how value of wetlands dramatically changes in East Asia. For so doing, it focuses on cultural, economic and ecological aspects.

Paper long abstract:

This study will focus on the Korean Peninsula as a case study, which has rich coastal tidal flats.

These tidal flats were considered as "useless" in the past and were subjects of landfill and land reclamation. However, the recognition of tidal flats is currently changing towards "beneficial natural environment" under modern environmental discourse. Preservation of the natural environment is a global mission and tidal flats are being respected as an environment to retain biodiversity.

This paper takes the modern environmental context into account and analyzes the value of tidal flats in East Asia. Traditional knowledge and practices about nature do not always match with the requirement from the international community. This requirement here indicates the practice of environmental protection defined in the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Ramsar Convention. The Korean peninsula has rich traditional knowledge and practice on wetlands. Some of the local knowledge and practice has been accepted, other will be negative and new knowledge to be cleated there. The paper discusses the creation of new value of tidal flats under the intersection of traditional knowledge, national policy, and international environmental principle.

Paper short abstract:

Cultural ideas of the environment in postsocialist Bulgaria intersect with nationalism in conflicting ways. While images of nature as the beauty of the nation are invoked against modernizing projects, the anxiety that Bulgaria is not sufficiently modern haunt people's national consciousness. The contradiction animates subject's relation to sustainability.

Paper long abstract:

This paper is about the multiple conflicting attitudes towards nature and environmentalism in Bulgaria since the collapse of socialism. It argues that practices of sustainability are structured by the ways people experience nature, and that this experience cannot be understood independently from historical-cultural identity categories such as ethnicity, gender, class and so on. In Bulgaria, notions of nature and the environment are caught up in an economy of nationalist representations. On the one hand, Bulgaria's natural landscape has been idealized as the heart of the nation's beauty and purity since at least the 19th century. This is evidenced by examples from folklore, literature, tourism advertising, and environmental movements (especially campaigns against socialism's abuses of resources), all of which play a heavy role in modern nationalism. On the other hand, the country's troubled location between east and west (in terms of geography, history, culture, economic development, etc.) sustains a strong anxiety about its inability to reach the socio-economic status of west-European countries. This fuels a desire for modernization that would not only establish Bulgaria as a rightful European nation, but would also distance it from the Ottoman past that continuously haunts its identity as a modern state. If environmentalist movements and plans for alternative subsistence practices are to gain popular support, they will inevitably have to negotiate their image in relation to these two conflicting discourses on the nation state.

Paper short abstract:

Performance virtually pervades institutions of public behavior. According to Turner man is a performing animal in a reflective way. Performance transforms and is transformed by everyday life. Successful performance represents the success of cultural representation transformating society and culture.

Paper long abstract:

Victor Turner mentioned in The Anthropology of Performance that man is a performing animal in a reflective way: in performing he reveals himself to himself but not necessarily to other people. Actions of cultural performance transform through culture into a conventionally understandable symbolic product. Performance virtually pervades all institution of public expressive behavior. It transforms and is transformed by everyday life. Cultural performance is frame behavior: it has specific rules to regulate behavior during performance which operate only as long as performance frame exists. Successful performance represents the successful accomplishment of cultural representation which results as transformations in society and culture.

As form of communication performance is obvious way to study human interaction. One of probable researching fields is live-action role-playing game (larp). It is improvisational history in real time and during this history all actors interact as fictional characters - as provided by the character's life-style, values etc but not player's. During the players interact by performance communication. The main difference from everyday interaction and social roles is that the player doesn't think the game role to be his or her personality. Respondent talking with researcher about his or her experience and actions in live-action role-playing game is more likely to be frank and open while discussing with the researcher his or her experience and actions in live-action role-playing game. So we have opportunity to find out latent aspects of communication which is produced through culture but isn't reflected by individuals consciously.

Paper short abstract:

The paper is a policy review and ethnohistorical account of Cheyenne Indian—United States land relations in the North American Central High Plains, 1812-2012.

Paper long abstract:

The paper is a policy review and ethnohistorical account of Cheyenne Indian—United States land relations in the North American Central High Plains, 1812-2012. Animal husbandry and horticultural practices of the Cheyenne are examined with the Euro-American settlement patterns of coerced assimilation, resource extraction, and extermination policies. There has been a predominance of land tenure usurpation, seed patenting, and transgenic disruption of life sustaining practices of ethnic and global populations proportions. Corporate interests predominant in U.S. policy-making hold short-term monetary profits as the U.S. allows patents on life itself. This is an unsustainable onslaught on genetic diversity, human fertility, and indigenous knowledge. The Cheyenne Indians, an indigenous, non-industrial society, has survived threats of extinction through unique decisions in traditional ways and ceremonies of using indigenous knowledge and effective technologies that are friendly to Nature and that guarantee viable human life-support activities for generations to come.