Anthropological Perspectives on Environmental Communication (Palgrave Studies in Anthropology of Sustainability)

In the continuous search for sustainability, the exchange of diverse perspectives, assumptions, and values is indispensable to environmental protection. Through anthropological and ethnographic analyses, this collection addresses how interests, values, and ideologies affect dialogue and sustainability work. Drawing on studies from three continents – Europe, North America, and South America – the paradoxes and the plurality of meanings associated with the creation of sustainable futures are explored. The book focuses on how communication practices collide with organizational frameworks, customary practices, livelihoods, and landscape. In so doing, the authors explore the meanings of environmental communication, pushing beyond environmental advocacy rhetoric to emphasize stronger anthropological engagement within communities to achieve more impactful environmental communication practice. Empirically the book’s chapters explore a diverse set of issues, ranging from coastal management in the European north to Native American place naming in Alaska. They further share findings from studies of contaminated land remediation in Sweden, conflicts over water resources in Chile, management of heritage and national parks in Northern Arizona, and cultural transmission in Slovakia. This is an open access book. Foreword References Praise for Anthropological Perspectives on Environmental Communication Contents Notes on Contributors List of Figures List of Tables Introduction Environmental Communication Anthropological Perspectives on Environmental Communication Mapping the Contribution The Chapters Final Note References Dancing with Lava: Indigenous Interactions with an Active Volcano in Arizona Introduction Methodology Previous Research Southern Paiute Epistemology Use of the Uinkaret Volcanic Field Before the Little Springs Event (17,000 B.P. to A.D. 1075) Little Springs Volcanic Event and the Southern Paiute Response Post-Eruption: The Initial Southern Paiute Response Post-Eruption Ceremonies: Little Springs Pilgrimage Hot Spring at the Northern Lobe of the Little Springs Lava Flow: Unuvats The Northern Lobe of the Little Springs Lava Flow Coyote’s House Discussion: Navigating the Epistemological Divide References Arsenic Fields: Community Understandings of Risk, Place, and Landscape Introduction Contaminated Places and Communities The Contaminated Riddarhyttan Copper Fields Communication of Environmental Risk Local Community Perspectives Risk Communication in Riddarhyttan Landscape, Place, Risk, and Memories By Way of Conclusion References Cultural Transmission in Slovak Mountain Regions: Local Knowledge as Symbolic Argumentation Introduction Traditional Ecological Knowledge as an Adaptation Process Methods Mountains and Vrchári Land Abandonment as Loss of Cultural and Natural Diversity Anthropological Arguments for the Continuity of Generational Transmission Argument 1: The Floating TEK Gap Argument 2: The Three-Generation Model Family The Example of the Ilčík Family Argument 3: Cattle Farming as a Symbol of Identity, Integrity, and Livelihood Discussion References Community Voices, Practices, and Memories in Environmental Communication: Iliamna Lake Yup’ik Place Names, Alaska Introduction A Study of Iliamna Lake Yup’ik Place Names Place Names as Environmental Communication Colonizing and Decolonizing Iliamna Lake Names Telling About Places Cultural Practices and Places Discussion References Demographic Change and Local Community Sustainability: Heritagization of Land Abandonment Symbols Introduction The Depopulation of Cultural Regions in Europe Background Local Communities and the Cultural Landscape The Historical Context of Central European Migration and Depopulation Land Depopulation: Limited Fertility as a Maladaptation The Increasing Control of Birthrate Among Married Couples Heritagization as the Reconstruction of Local Memory Historical Cemeteries and Tombstones: Places of Cultural Memory Revitalization of Symbols, Community, and the Cultural Landscape Environmental Communication and the Symbolic Language of Cemeteries Discussion: Symbolic Dialogue in Environmental Communication References Living Stone Bridges: Epistemological Divides in Heritage Environmental Communication Heritage Environmental Communication The Case Study Study Location Study Methods Study Findings Zuni Southern Paiute Acoma Pueblo Ute Mountain Ute Analysis Discussion References “The Sea Has No Boundaries”: Collaboration and Communication Between Actors in Coastal Planning on the Swedish West Coast Introduction Theoretical Context The Rationale for the Collaborative Project The Organization and the Explicit Objectives of the Project The Benefits of the Project from the Perspective of the Involved Stakeholders Conflicts of Interest Obstacles Related to Regulations and the Institutional Division of Responsibilities in Society Communication Through Friction Concluding Discussion References Power, Conflicts, and Environmental Communication in the Struggles for Water Justice in Rural Chile: Insights from the Epistemologies of the South and the Anthropology of Power Introduction Environmental Communication from a Conflict- and Power-Oriented Perspective Anthropologies of Power, Epistemologies of the South, and Their Relevance for a Critical and Situated Conceptualization of Environmental Communication Environmental Communication and Power in the Struggles for Water Justice in Chile A Critical Environmental Communication Analysis of Water Conflicts in Chile: Knowledge and Power over Water and Epistemologies of the South Concluding Remarks References Commentary Introduction Attempts to Decolonize Land While Challenging Modernization Acknowledgment of a Diversity of Thoughts Exploitation and Commodification of Natural Resources and Knowledge Risk Communication, Perception, and Agency Concluding Remarks References Index "Adaptive and inclusive governance, key aspects of steering towards sustainable use of land and water, require cross-cultural and respectful communication. A basic prerequisite is insight into the diversity of ways that people perceive and interact with the rest of nature. This book brings to the fore the significant contributions that anthropological research offers in this respect. The volume not only provides a number of highly interesting and theory-framed cases of the multi-faceted relationships between people and their local environments from various parts of the world, it also stimulates a healthy uncertainty regarding the context and rationale for human actions, which encourages more open-minded approaches in environmental communication and mutual exchange in the search for sustainable solutions." Marie Stenseke, Professor in Human Geography, Deputy Dean of the School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg, and Co-chair of IPBES Multidisciplinary Expert Panel "Nature, culture, and people are generally perceived as independent entities in the world around us. The environmental situation presents us with new challenges within the confines of our lives on Earth. Researchers seek an explanation for human societies various strategies, some of which are rooted deeply in the past; they reveal a faith in the value of models linked to heritage in the form of rituals, social relations, and work techniques, as well as adaptations prompted by changes in the landscape and environment. This collection of studies documents the ongoing processes of diversity that are grounded in environmental and cultural differences across the globe, taking the reader from South and North America (Chile, Arizona, Alaska) to Northern and Central Europe (Sweden, Slovakia). The results demonstrate the surprising diversity of historical contexts of place versus environmental constraints, as well as that of life in depopulated regions." Viera Feglova, Emeritus Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava "This work is more than a mere collection of case studies. The authors depict worlds where a significant part of life consists in the collective performance of stories about culture and environment. We all, in fact, take part in this performance, together with our fellow players, who participate in processes of knowledge making in varied ways." Josef Kandert, Professor of Social Anthropology, Faculty of Humanities, Charles University, Prague