Creative convergence: exploring biocultural diversity through art

Ecology and Society

Deborah Simmons¹  Frederick Andrew¹  Leon Andrew¹  Bethann G. Merkle²  Michael Neyelle³  Walter Bayha³  Keren Rice⁴  Micheline Manseau⁵  Jean L. Polfus⁵ 

[1] &577;Creative Writing Program, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA;De&769;Department of Linguistics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada;

关键词: art;    biocultural diversity;    biodiversity;    bridging knowledge systems;    caribou;    collaborative research;    interdisciplinary;    social-ecological systems;    subarctic;    traditional knowledge;    visual communication;    visual facilitation;    visual methods;   

DOI  :  10.5751/ES-08711-220204

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Interdisciplinary approaches are necessary for exploring the complex research questions that stem from interdependence in social-ecological systems. For example, the concept of biocultural diversity, which highlights the interactions between human diversity and the diversity of biological systems, bridges multiple knowledge systems and disciplines and can reveal historical, existing, and emergent patterns of variation that are essential to ecosystem dynamics. Identifying biocultural diversity requires a flexible, creative, and collaborative approach to research. We demonstrate how visual art can be used in combination with scientific and social science methods to examine the biocultural landscape of the Sahtú region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Specifically, we focus on the intersection of Dene cultural diversity and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) intraspecific variation. We developed original illustrations, diagrams, and other visual aids to increase the effectiveness of communication, improve the organization of research results, and promote intellectual creativity. For example, we used scientific visualization and drawings to explain complex genetic data and clarify research priorities. Visual facilitation during meetings helped establish accurate representations of both cultural and biological diversity by externalizing heterogeneity and avoiding standardization. Group mind mapping enhanced collaborators' ability to visualize connections between Dene concepts, like bets'erı̨hchá "respect" and caribou, and to recognize differences between knowledge systems that challenge translations and reduce the effectiveness of research outcomes. Collaborative visual products, like posters that represented different caribou types, allowed Dene partners to more clearly articulate subtleties within caribou intraspecific variation that are manifest through distinct dialects, place-based relationships, and cultural practices. Our results point to the potential for visual art to be used to improve communication, participation, and knowledge production in interdisciplinary and cross-cultural research collaborations and to enhance the sustainable stewardship and protection of biodiversity.

【 授权许可】

Unknown