UBC Earth Sciences Building, Room 1013Â (2207 Main Mall, Vancouver)
Admission by donation ($5 suggested)
Join Nancy Turner as we explore why thinking of the importance not only of biodiversity but of biocultural diversity can help us to frame our attitudes, our governance systems, and our very understandings of what it is to be human, and may help us to become responsible players in the world’s ecosystems.
DETAILED SYNOPSIS
Predominant in western thinking, at least for the past few centuries, is the dichotomy between “nature†and “cultureâ€, with humans seen to be above and dominant over nature. This perception, leading to particular behaviours and assumptions of those who adhere to it, it can be argued, has resulted in increasing degradation of natural systems, and an escalating loss of biodiversity the world over.
What is less recognized is that not all human cultures embrace this philosophy. For many Indigenous societies, for example, there is a predominant belief that humans are part of nature, close relatives of other species, and that not only do we depend on these other species, but we have responsibilities towards them as we do to our own kin.
This leads to a different kind of relationship with the natural world, and may give us clues about more sustainable ways of interacting with nature. However, these cultures with alternative views of the human-nature relationship are themselves widely threatened, and their knowledge and perspectives are being overrun by those of mainstream societies. Nevertheless, increasingly we are realizing that these differing cultural perspectives may be critically important in providing us with alternative models of relationships with other species and environments.
Join Nancy Turner as we explore why thinking of the importance not only of biodiversity but of biocultural diversity can help us to frame our attitudes, our governance systems, and our very understandings of what it is to be human, and may help us to become responsible players in the world’s ecosystems.