Theoretical reflections on ethnobiology in the third millennium

Abstract

As in several other scientific endeavors, ethnobiology has greatly diversifi ed around the turn of the millennium. Despite several eff orts being made during recent years, the discipline still gives the impression of being in needs to establish its identity among better defi ned fi elds of study. Trying to contribute to fi ll this gap, this review succinctly discusses the multidisciplinary foundations of ethnobiology and its paradigmatic, theoretical and conceptual diversification during recent decades. This field of study is characterized along these lines as “the investigation of the material and symbolic interrelationships between human beings and the rest of existing organisms.” Major ethnobiological perspectives, putative subdivisions, main research foci, and preponderant subjects are proposed and roughly outlined, in addition to the foremost dualistic paradigmatic approaches and multifaceted aims common in this branch of knowledge. The relationships and hybridizations between ethnobiology and political ecology in a critical perspective conclude the review, with a fi nal speculation on supplementary future steps and challenges amongst ethnobiology practitioners.  

Keywords: history of ethnobiology · ethnobiological subdivisions · ethnobiological paradigms · research foci · critical ethnobiology