ISE Pre-Congress Workshop, Save the Date

The workshop is still in its planning stage and the Call for Applications will be announced no later than early April 2018. If you have any queries please contact the ISE Student Representatives Jennie Harvey (jennie.harvey@canterbury.ac.uk) and Michel Rapinski (micheal.rapinski@umontreal.ca), or visit the ISE and the congress websites. “Ethnobiology in the 21st Century: reflecting on the Declaration of Belém 30 years on” The International Society of Ethnobiology’s (ISE) 5th Pre-Congress Workshop for Emerging Ethnobiologists In 2010, emerging ethnobiologists from around the world joined together in Tofino, Canada and created the International Network of Emerging Ethnobiologists (INEE) at the ISE’s 1st student and early career professionals pre-congress workshop. Since then, ISE student representatives have organized a biennial pre-congress workshop to create the space for students, recent graduates and early career professionals from around the world to form lasting relationships and discuss key topics in ethnobiology. The ISE’s 5th pre-congress workshop will take place just prior to the ISE’s 16th Congress in Belém (provisional dates 2st – 5th August 2018, travel on 1st and 6th to and from Belém). Confirmed indigenous and academic mentors will attend from Canada, United-States, Taiwan, New-Zealand, Brazil, and French Guiana to offer guidance and share their experiences and expertise. Our Aspirational Objectives: · To bring together a range of critical perspectives on ethical practice and epistemic justice in ethnobiology, from both within and outside of academia, including indigenous groups in South America · To dissect and discuss the relevance and limitations of the Declaration of Belém and the ISE Code of Ethics 30 years since the Declaration was first drafted, in light of contemporary issues in ethnobiology · To share and discuss personal experiences and ongoing challenges in maintaining best ethical practice in our work and working relationships Specific objectives and a programme of workshops and field trips is currently being developed by a committee of mentors and student representatives, and will be outlined in further communications. Workshop theme: As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Declaration of Belém and the founding of the International Society of Ethnobiology, we feel it is appropriate to take this opportunity to reflect on the contemporary context of our discipline, and the ethical challenges we face as emerging ethnobiologists today. As early-career researchers, we must learn from our forebears, while also challenging and building upon received wisdom and practices to address the social and environmental challenges of our age. Therefore, the proposed theme of the student workshop for 2018 is a reflection on the Declaration of Belém, and on contemporary ethical issues in ethnobiology, in accordance with the Conference theme for the 2018 ISE congress in Belém, and with the 2016 pre-congress workshop in Uganda, which addressed research ethics and participatory research. Hunn (2007) identifies four phases in the evolution of the discipline of ethnobiology: 1) an initial utilitarian, etic, and largely descriptive scholarly endeavour; 2) an ‘ethnoscientific’ approach characterised by linguistic and cognitive research and an emic perspective; 3) a focus on ecology and the links between knowledge and action, particularly in resource management; and 4) an indigenous ethnobiology concerned with the relationships between knowledge and power. The Declaration of Belém, developed by Darrell Posey, was a key document for initiating this fourth phase. Alexiades (2003) likewise describes the context and emerging challenges of ethnobiology in the third millennium, including issues concerning validation, commoditization, and politicization of traditional knowledge, environmental crises, and the growth of social movements around issues of environmental and social justice. These challenges are associated with conflicts over rights, access, control and ownership of natural resources and traditional knowledge in an increasingly interconnected and technological world. These challenges define the landscape that we, as emerging ethnobiologists, must navigate as we forge a path for the future. The workshop is still in its planning stage and the Call for Applications will be announced no later than early April 2018. If you have any queries please contact the ISE Student Representatives Jennie Harvey (jennie.harvey@canterbury.ac.uk) and Michel Rapinski (micheal.rapinski@umontreal.ca), or visit the ISE and the congress websites. ISE Website- http://www.ethnobiology.net/ Congress Website- https://www.ise2018belem.com The Declaration of Belém can be viewed here http://www.ethnobiology.net/what-we-do/core-programs/global-coalition-2/declaration-of-belem/ And the ISE code of ethics here http://www.ethnobiology.net/what-we-do/core-programs/ise-ethics-program/code-of-ethics/ Other references/recommended reading for participants: Alexiades, M. N. (2003). Ethnobotany in the Third Millennium: expectations and unresolved issues. Delpinoa, 45, 15-28. Hunn, E. (2007). Ethnobiology in four phases. Journal of Ethnobiology, 27(1), 1-10.