Chapter 14: Anthropology and Sustainability

Question 1

human ecology

Answer 1

the study of the complex relationships between humans and their environments

Question 2

sustainability*

Answer 2

the ability to keep something in existence, to support a practice indefinitely

Question 3

Anthropocene era

Answer 3

the geological and environmental era in which humans have drastically and undeniably altered the planet as a whole

Question 4

closed-loop system*

Answer 4

a system that has finite resources and cannot sustain indefinite growth, ex- earth

Question 5

three pillars of sustainability*

Answer 5

social, environmental, economic- each of these pillars must be supported and in balance if we are to reach the goal of a sustainable world

Question 6

environmental sustainability

Answer 6

the ability of the environment to renew resources and accommodate waste at the same rate at which resources are used and waste is generated

Question 7

social sustainability

Answer 7

the ability of social systems (families, communities, regions or nations) to provide for the needs of their people so that they can attain a stable and healthy standard of living

Question 8

economic sustainability

Answer 8

the ability of the economy to support indefinite growth while ensuring a minimal quality of life for all members of society
Economic development generally causes environmental degradation

Question 9

participatory action research (PAR)

Answer 9

In PAR projects, the communities needs and goals are identified through a process of participant observation and consultation

Question 10

tragedy of the commons

Answer 10

Original analogy: an open pasture shared by herds-men and their cattle, the inevitability of the tragedy comes from overpopulation
Each herds-man wants to increase their own amount of cattle for personal benefit but would result to less pasture for all animals to share eventually the pasture becomes overgrazed and there are no resources left for anyone
This analogy is applied to human use of natural resources
By Garrett Hardin

Question 11

privatization

Answer 11

of resources by corporations and government regulation is seen as the only way to prevent total ecological destruction

Question 12

Julian steward

Answer 12

developed a paradigm based on the interactions of people in their particular environments
Determinism: the limitations of the environment determine peoples behaviour

Question 13

cultural ecology

Answer 13

a framework of understanding culture by examining the limitations of the environment and food-getting practices

Question 14

culture core

Answer 14

a set of features of culture that are similar in societies practicing the same food-getting strategies; an aspect of the cultural ecology model

Question 15

ecological anthropology

Answer 15

a framework of understanding culture that uses systems theory to understand a population as a closed-loop system
Within EA, systems theory is used to measure the inputs and outputs of the system

Question 16

systems theory model

Answer 16

examines a particular geographic area inhabited by people as a closed-loop system, understands the population to be in a state of equilibrium within its environment of finite resources

Question 17

political ecology

Answer 17

developed framework for the relationship between ecology and power, focus on the complex relationships between the environment, economics and politics

Question 18

environmental anthropologist

Answer 18

an anthropologist interested in the relationships between people and the environment, research may include Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Ethnoecology

Question 19

traditional ecological knowledge (TEK)

Answer 19

seeks to understand the collective and cumulative knowledge that a group of people has gained through living in their particular ecosystem, often called Indigenous or local knowledge

Question 20

ethnoecologists

Answer 20

tend to emphasize traditional peoples’ knowledge of flora and fauna, focuses on indigenous concepts of plants and their uses for food, medicine or ritual

Question 21

Anthropological Approaches to sustainability studies

Answer 21

cultural ecology
ecological anthropology
political ecology
environmental anthropology

Question 22

issues in sustainability studies

Answer 22

population growth
globalization of food

Question 23

population growth

Answer 23

There is direct relevance of population growth for sustainability is that it results in fewer resources for the majority of the world’s people and greater environmental depletion
The growth of high-income countries and their economies has the most severe effect on environmental resources in low-income countries

Question 24

globalization*

Answer 24

the integration of economic, social, political and geographic boundaries and processes; industrial food production, distribution, and consumption are enmeshed in global processes

Question 25

Three major transformations that have affected food access since the industrialization and globalization of food system

Answer 25

Food production and distribution are embedded in an increasingly intertwined and rapidly growing network of global interdependency
In developed nations, this leads to better nutrition due to a wider availability of diverse foods
In underdeveloped nations, the elite benefit while the majority of people who were dependent on local production and methods suffer economically and nutritionally

Question 26

vegetarianism

Answer 26

diet that emphasizes plant-based foods and restricts meat and fish

Question 27

veganism

Answer 27

diet comprised wholly of plant-based foods and restricts products made from animals or their products such as dairy and eggs

Question 28

locavore

Answer 28

diet emphasizes foods produced in ones local community which supports the local economy, allows consumers to get to know their farmers and provides fresh produce

Question 29

flexitarian

Answer 29

diet that seeks out fresh and ethically sourced foods without following a strict set of rules

Question 30

reducetarian

Answer 30

people who live in communities of plenty who choose “voluntary simplicity” such as: reducing clutter in one’s life, lowering one’s level of consumption overall, choosing products that are durable, repairable, efficient and ethically produced, etc.

Question 31

culture scale

Answer 31

the scope or reach of culture; implied is the idea that smaller-scale societies are more sustainable than larger-scale societies

Question 32

Margaret mead

Answer 32

anthropologist that brought knowledge of human societies to the public: worked among islanders of the South Pacific and Indonesia, exploring major questions of the early 20th century such as race, gender, child rearing and the nature vs. nurture controversy

Question 33

nature vs. nurture controversy

Answer 33

the debate over which aspects of human life are fixed in one’s genetic makeup, and which are learned through culture