Abstract

In order to move global society towards a sustainable “ecotopia,” solutions must be engaged in specific places and communities, and the authors here argue for re-orienting environmental anthropology from a problem-oriented towards a solutions-focused endeavor. Using case studies from around the world, the contributors—scholar-activists and activist-practitioners— examine the interrelationships between three prominent environmental social movements: bioregionalism, a worldview and political ecology that grounds environmental action and experience; permaculture, a design science for putting the bioregional vision into action; and ecovillages, the ever-dynamic settings for creating sustainable local cultures.

James R. Veteto is Assistant Professor and faculty member of the Cherokee Studies Program in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at Western Carolina University. He is Executive Director of the Appalachian Institute for Mountain Studies and Director of the Southern Seed Legacy.

“The contributors look beyond techno-fixes to ask deep questions about underlying cultural ontologies that…will undoubtedly resonate with and inspire students; [this volume] is highly recommended for use in both undergraduate and graduate courses in anthropology and environmental studies…Because it takes an important step toward developing the kind of direct engagement between academia and the public that will be necessary if we are to realize our ultimate objective of reinhabitation and all it implies, this volume will be important for years, perhaps decades, to come.”  ·  Culture, Agriculture, Food and Environment

“The book is well structured, engaging and highly topical; it brings together a range of academics and practitioners—itself a potentially interesting and seldom examined dialogue—around three main areas which form the book’s structure: Bioregionalism; Permaculture; Ecovillages.”  ·  Malcolm Miles, University of Plymouth

“This is an excellent and timely collection of essays by ecological and environmental anthropologists and other scholars and activists who, together, are redefining the field of human ecology as a contribution to the cultural revolution the world needs, if we are to achieve the transition to sustainability.”  ·  Laura M. Rival, University of Oxford

“…a fascinating and significant anthology. The integration in this book of theory and practice, scholar and activist, reprinted classics and new essays, is very creative and admirable. It deals with three contemporary subjects that have been rather neglected by researchers…It is current and futuristic in many respects [and] deserves a wide readership.”  ·  Leslie E. Sponsel, University of Hawai’i

Joshua Lockyer is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Arkansas Tech University where he is co-creating a bioregionally-based undergraduate anthropology program.