Sympathetic science: analogism in Brazilian ethnobiological repertoires among quilombolas of the Atlantic forest and Amazonian ribeirinhos

Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine

Rui Sérgio Sereni Murrieta¹  Tamires de Lima Souza²  Glenn Harvey Shepard³  Marcelo Nivert Schlindwein⁴  Helbert Medeiros Prado⁵ 

[1] Bioscience Institute, University of São Paulo, 277 Matão Str., 05508-090, São Paulo, SP, Brazil;Center of Sciences and Technology for Sustainability, Federal University of São Carlos, João Leme Dos Santos, Highway 110km, 18052-780, Sorocaba, SP, Brazil;Department of Anthropology, Emilio Goeldi Museum, 1901 Perimetral Av., 66077830, Belém, PA, Brazil;Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Federal University of São Carlos, Washington Luís Highway 235km, 13565-905, São Carlos, SP, Brazil;Philosophy and Social Sciences Institute, Federal University of Pará, 01 Augusto Corrêa Str., 66075-110, Belém, PA, Brazil;

关键词: Ethnoecology;    Environmental anthropology;    Phenomenology;    Epistemology;    Ontology;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13002-021-00499-0

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundDrawing on Phillipe Descola’s comparative analysis of ontological regimes across cultures, this article identifies analogism guiding ethnobiological repertories among two distinctive traditional tropical forest communities in Brazil.MethodsWe carried out participant observation, semi-structured interviews and informal dialog with 48 individuals, among quilombolas of the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil and ribeirinhos of the Amazon.ResultsWe documented 60 traditional practices governed by analogical principles, comprising hunting, ethnomedical practices, food taboos, and other interactions with non-human entities. We also identify and classify the analogical principles reported in the field data. Based on this classification, we address the phenomenological dimension of the ethnobiological repertoires and discuss the epistemological and ontological foundations of this form of reasoning. We also hypothesize on the role of analogism shaping ethnobiological repertories more generally in Brazil.ConclusionThe heuristic model we apply—articulating phenomenology, epistemology and ontology—could prove valuable in ethnobiology and the emerging field of “anthropology beyond the human.”

【 授权许可】

CC BY