Understanding adaptation and transformation through indigenous practice: the case of the Guna of Panama

Apgar, Marina; Allen, Will; Moore, Kevin; Ataria, James M.

doi:10.5751/es-07314-200145

Cited by 49 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 65 publications

(73 reference statements)

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“…It was also a key epistemological driver of the emergence of the applied and transdisciplinary field of biocultural diversity (Maffi 2001). A recent example from applied resilience research showed that existing social and cultural practices of Guna indigenous peoples in Panama contribute directly to capacities for adaptation and transformation (Apgar et al 2015).…”

Section: Discussion: Toward a Resilient Research Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

Designing for resilience: permaculture as a transdisciplinary methodology in applied resilience research

Henfrey¹

2018

E&S

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ABSTRACT. In this paper I examine the relationship between resilience research and permaculture, a system for the design and creation of human habitats, organizations, and projects rooted in ethics of sustainability, well-being, and equity. I argue that applying permaculture as a tool in research design can enable research to contribute more directly, immediately, and effectively to building community resilience. I explore this argument with reference to three case studies of research projects that involve permaculture as both research topic and methodology, at multiple geographical scales. Each of these cases provides evidence that research activities contribute to community resilience, and that this can be attributed to the application of permaculture principles and methods in research design. In particular, permaculture embeds iterative processes of action learning able to enhance adaptive capacity within communities in which it is applied. This includes transdisciplinary communities that mobilize around specific research interests and communities of place and/or practice that participate in transdisciplinary research. I suggest that this may be an instance of a general situation whereby research both incorporates and enhances existing learning processes that contribute to adaptive capacity and community resilience. I tentatively propose for such collaborations the label "Mode 3" resilience research, and suggest further research be done to identify and examine further cases in both permaculture and other fields of resilience research.Key Words: community resilience; participatory action research; permaculture; transdisciplinary research; transformation INTRODUCTION: COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AND MODE 2 SCIENCEIn this paper I examine the relationship between permaculture and resilience research. Specifically, I explore how social permaculture can form the basis of transdisciplinary methodologies in which research directly and deliberately contributes to efforts to build community resilience. This exploration draws on three case studies of research collaborations in which I was personally involved. I locate the argument in a wider analysis of the nature of participation in resilience research and the methodological, epistemological, and political implications of collaboration with community-based resilience practitioners. In conclusion I suggest that increased levels of critical introspection concerning normative aspects is necessary for full realization of the applied potential of resilience research, and point toward a possible new orientation that foregrounds these reflexive dimensions.

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Section: Discussion: Toward a Resilient Research Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

Designing for resilience: permaculture as a transdisciplinary methodology in applied resilience research

Henfrey¹

2018

E&S

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“…At the community scale, the wider psychology literature suggests that there is also a need to engage with overlooked questions of optimism, leadership, self-esteem and people's relationship to place in understanding agency and capacity for self-organisation in the face of emerging shocks and stressors Brown and Westaway, 2011;Miles, 2015;Apgar et al 2015). Second, assessments need to explore and exploit opportunities to build cross-scale relationships in support of learning and adaptation decision-making, rooted in and responding to an understanding of how pre-existing social and cultural relations influence access to and control over institutions (Cote and Nightingale, 2012;Dagdeviren et al 2015;Sjostedt, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent work has affirmed the role of individual well-being and identity in community resilience, recognising that well-being is underpinned by identification with a primary community, enhancing the ability of community members to cope (Miles, 2015). Shared cultural practices, such as those that support leadership, individual development and social networking, have been found to support resilience and transformation (Apgar et al 2015). Yet attributes such as neighbourliness can also emerge in response to shocks, even when good relations were previously absent (Cheshire, 2015).…”

Section: Adaptation and Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

Can community-based adaptation increase resilience?

Ensor

Park

Attwood

et al. 2016

Climate and Development

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A central claim of community-based adaptation (CBA) is that it increases resilience. Yet, the concept of resilience is treated inconsistently in CBA, obscuring discussion of the limitations and benefits of resilience thinking and undermining evaluation of resilience outcomes in target communities. This paper examines different participatory assessment activities carried out as part of CBA case studies in Timor-Leste and Solomon Islands. The activities and their outputs were assessed against ten characteristics of resilience previously identified in a systematic review. The findings offer support to the claim that CBA can build resilience in target communities, revealing the inherent strengths of CBA in relation to resilience. However, it is necessary for CBA assessments to simultaneously incorporate activities that consider cultural, political, economic and ecological factors influencing resilience within and between communities. This may demand multiple staff with different skills. The findings also highlight the importance of politics and power in shaping adaptive capacity. In particular, addressing the highly context specific nature of social, cultural and political relations demands an approach that is situated in and responsive to local realities. Overall, our case study suggests that using the ten characteristics as an analytical framework offers support to practitioners looking to develop, implement or evaluate CBA assessment activities. Yet within this, it is critical that a focus on increasing resilience through CBA does not preclude transformation in social relations. Realising the potential to support resilience and transformation requires CBA practitioners to acknowledge the multifaceted nature of resilience, whilst also paying close attention to multiple potential barriers to equitable adaptation.

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“…The paper by Apgar et al (2015) on the Guna indigenous people illustrates the importance of considering cultural and spiritual dimensions of adaptation, transformation, and social-ecological resilience. They show how longstanding social and cultural processes have created enabling conditions that have fostered the Guna people's adaptive and transformational capacity.…”

Section: Paper Contributionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The framework bridges social and ecological understandings of transformation and outlines the processes and phases of transformative change in an SES. It provides an avenue for analyzing the alteration of social-ecological feedbacks, critical barriers and leverage points, and outcomes of social-ecological transformations.The paper by Apgar et al (2015) on the Guna indigenous people illustrates the importance of considering cultural and spiritual dimensions of adaptation, transformation, and social-ecological resilience. They show how longstanding social and cultural processes have created enabling conditions that have fostered the Guna people's adaptive and transformational capacity.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Expanding the contribution of the social sciences to social-ecological resilience research

Stone-Jovicich¹,

Goldstein²,

Brown³

et al. 2018

E&S

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. 2018. Expanding the contribution of the social sciences to social-ecological resilience research. Ecology and Society 23 (1) INTRODUCTIONAs we are confronted with mounting evidence of the profound and potentially irreversible impacts of human activities on the planet-encapsulated in the notion of the Anthropocene-the need to engage across a range of ways of knowing and doing becomes increasingly urgent. The intersection and interdependence of human-environment systems is seen by scholars, policy makers, and other stakeholders as providing a promising vehicle for bridging understandings and guiding actions toward a more sustainable future Folke 1998, Berkes et al. 2008).Growing attention is thus being focused on social-ecological resilience. Indeed, it is increasingly being adopted as a centerpiece of policy making, planning processes, and management strategies (e.g., Field et al. 2014; http://www.100resilientcities.org). It also is being embraced in other fora-such as civil society and social movements (e.g., the Transition Movement) and in arts and creative practice-as a means to invoke and provoke critical reflection and debates about society directions and alternative visions (e.g., Rathwell and Armitage 2016, Brown et al. 2017; https://transitionnetwork.org).The effectiveness of social-ecological resilience in informing transitions to more sustainable futures and actions depends on an understanding of biophysical, environmental, and human systems. There is widespread agreement that we need integrative research that transcends disciplinary boundaries and embraces ideas from the natural and social sciences, as well as other bodies of knowledge (e.g., Castree et al. 2014, Brondizio et al. 2016). This is not new to social-ecological resilience. Over the past decade, the field has taken a "social turn" (Brown 2013) as resilience researchers broadened their theoretical and methodological lens to incorporate insights and approaches from a wide range of non-natural science disciplines: from the social and behavioral sciences (e.g., sociology, anthropology, human geography, economics, psychology) to closely aligned interdisciplinary fields (e.g., sustainability sciences, global environmental change sciences, environmental education, architecture, planning, law) and, to some extent, the humanities (e.g., literature, philosophy, religion, arts, and music). The field also has widened its concept of what are credible knowledge practices, expanding from a positivist tradition of scientific inquiry to interpretive and participatory modes of research (e.g., Fazey et al. 2018). This crossdisciplinary engagement has gained momentum over the years, as evidenced in the expansion in number and scope of integrative work presented at the Resilience conferences since 2008 (see Bousquet et al. 2016) and related publications.This Special Feature emerged in response to this mounting crossdisciplinary appetite and the opportunity to open up a discussion about how and in what ways this collaboration can be strengthened moving forwar...

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Understanding adaptation and transformation through indigenous practice: the case of the Guna of Panama

Cited by 49 publications

References 65 publications

Designing for resilience: permaculture as a transdisciplinary methodology in applied resilience research

Designing for resilience: permaculture as a transdisciplinary methodology in applied resilience research

Can community-based adaptation increase resilience?

Expanding the contribution of the social sciences to social-ecological resilience research

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