The Non-equilibrium Ecological Anthropology

Abstract

The existing approaches to ecological anthropology-cultural ecology, cultural materialism, and environmental conservation studies-would suppose an equilibrium ecological thought for stability, balance, climax, and succession of nature. However, changing viewpoint from equilibrium to non-equilibrium ecology emphasized temporality, variability, externality and resilience. It is also attempted to explain nature-human relationships in new ways. Tracing issues of ecological anthropology-land degradation, the tragedy of common, indigenous people and knowledge and biodiversity conservation, I explored the change of research tendency reflecting non-equilibrium thought. The ethnographic studies of non-western society and constructing scientific knowledges overcame the nature/culture dichotomy and showed the entanglement of human and nonhuman networks. The non-equilibrium thinking could present describing ecological matters and practices more complex.