The `collapse' of civilizations: what palaeoenvironmental reconstruction cannot tell us, but anthropology can

Abstract

Solutions to environmental problems experienced by human societies proposed by `palaeo' scientists are often deterministic, and therefore philosophically unacceptable to most social scientists, discouraging links between the biophysical and the social sciences. One social science which may offer the greatest scope for interdisciplinary cooperation is anthropology, which provides a set of rules by which non-social scientists can understand the general characteristics and nature of change, in both traditional and modern societies. These involve shifts in the relationship between the society, the polity and the economy, the ways in which access to resources is controlled, and the distribution of resources amongst the group, which may be egalitarian or stratified (unequal). During the Holocene, many human groups have abandoned egalitarianism in favour of stratified societies involving expansionist political organization, increasing inequality and internal social control, and production of an ever-increasing economic surplus. Since CE 1500, modern societies have emerged in which the economy is separate from the polity, and economic activity increasingly globalized. Currently, many national polities are subservient to the global economy, involving rapidly increasing impact upon the Earth's support systems. Societies `collapse' (as do those which survive) for a variety of reasons, both environmental and cultural, but underlying all such events is a tendency towards economic intensification, political expansion and increased social control (and therefore reduced socio-political flexibility). Alternative modes of subsistence offering long-term sustainability may therefore involve increased local economic self-reliance and personal and political autonomy, and enhanced ability of local communities to manage their own resources.

Las unidades de manejo tradicional, base de la conservación comunitaria en Morelos, México

“…In the second workshop, the recent history of resource management in a period of 20 years was discussed. The information supplied the limiting factors for the appropriation, mitigation measures, and evaluation methods for the proposals (Ortiz-Ávila & Mancera, 2008) for three TMUs defined by emic criteria; one TMU from the thinking and cultural approaches of the participants of the community, as well as two TMUs defined by ethical criteria in the work process. In the third workshop, the perception on sustainable development (World Commission on Environmental Development [WCED], 1987) through the "keyword" technique for the participatory explanation of reality (Galeano, 2007) was examined.…”

Overcoming systemic roadblocks to sustainability: The evolutionary redesign of worldviews, institutions, and technologies

“…Such radical negative socio-ecological regime shifts are often referred to as collapses (1,2,4,30). In some cases, such as the recent example of the fall of the Soviet Union, regime shifts may only introduce temporary negative impacts, while in other more severe instances the resulting decline is permanent and leaves an open niche for another society to emerge and occupy (1,2).…”

“…A society's responses depend on the ability of its political, economic, and social institutions to respond, as well as on its cultural values (2). Civilizations that go into a state of decline often do so after unwise choices in the face of stress (30). These choices are made because of an absence of appropriate understanding of the situation or of institutions to mount a flexible response.…”

What do we mean by wet? Geoarchaeology and the reconstruction of water availability

“…Dearing, 2006), but also because of the multiple disciplines required to fully tackle the problems, both intellectual and practical, posed (e.g. O'Sullivan, 2008). This paper attempts to discuss some of these issues, focussing on the discipline of Geoarchaeology and the specific problem of reconstructing past water availability.…”