Laborscapes and Archaeologies of Sustainability

Abstract

Archaeological research on sustainability enjoys an increasingly high profile in the discipline, with scholars employing a range of methodological and theoretical platforms. We argue that the most successful forays of applied archaeological research into sustainability encompass three major realms: the social foundations and local histories of any human community, the economic resources and practices to support that community, and the environmental and geological couplings existing therein. This study explores dynamic relationships between these three spheres by discussing how nineteenth- and twentieth-century farmers, land managers, and landowners, along with their families, created and maintained a vibrant community, founded for the commercial production of bergamot, mulberries, olives, grapes, and a wide variety of fruits, nuts, vegetables, and cereal crops in the San Pasquale Valley (SPQV), Calabria, Italy. Our theoretical approach combines Lave and Wenger's (1991) community of practice approach with Scarborough's (2009) model of labor- and techno-tasking strategies to document laborscapes through time, using architectural documentation, oral histories, documentary evidence, oral histories, ethnographic interviews, and climate modeling. We demonstrate the interpretive power of incorporating cultural foundations into environmental and economic models to produce more comprehensive understandings of how people succeed and fail to sustain livelihoods and communities. We argue that rhythms and nuances of linkages between the SPQV environment, economy, and social worlds require a more flexible conceptualization of sustainability to encompass the variety of solutions developed by current SPQV community members to craft sustainable economic and social futures for themselves.

Land Use and Social Dynamics in Early 19th Century Bova, Calabria

“…This interpretation supports reports from 1863 stating that most peasants were day laborers working other people's land unless they worked their own, even though they paid taxes on the produce that they grew on the land they worked, whether or not they owned it or directly reaped its benefits [15]. This type of tenant relationship continued in the San Pasquale Valley into the contemporary period, as recent work has shown [38,39].…”

“…Certainly, there are indications of economic stress evident in the types of artifacts recovered. The goal of private property ownership for a larger group of citizens remained elusive for many years to come, as evidenced in the ongoing research in the San Pasquale Valley and can perhaps be seen as well in our survey work in the upper Aspromonte near Gambarie [38,39,44].…”

The Twentieth Century Invention of Ancient Mountains: The Archaeology of Highland Aspromonte

“…By 1900, historic hill towns such as Bova were losing population and new coastal towns such as Bova Marina were booming. Other forms of internal migration included movement to newly developing farming areas such as irrigated citrus groves in lowland river valleys such as the San Pasquale valley in Bova Marina (Chesson et al 2019). From the 1950s onward, the traditional world of peasant farming collapsed, as subsistence farming was undercut by cheap food imports and as rural people moved to towns, both nearby and in northern Italy, with paid jobs, schools, health care, running water, and electricity.…”

The Terms Foresters and Planners in the United States Use to Infer Sustainability in Forest Management Plans: A Survey Analysis

“…High (30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45) think (long-term), maintain, (consider the) future, (be) capable or able Medium (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29) (meet) needs, provide, sustain, perpetuate, use, (ensure) quality…”

“…With respect to forest businesses and forest management organizations, sustainability is an ethical principle that addresses the long-term ecological, economic, and social outcomes of management [4]. Social foundations, economic resources, institutional characteristics, and environmental couplings are major areas of discussion that assist in determining whether a forest system is sustainable [13,14]. Definitions of sustainability, and assessments regarding whether a system is sustainable, can create controversy when shared metrics and evidentiary standards are lacking [15].…”