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Negotiating the nature of nature : a cultural models approach to meaning, motivation and cooperative resource management in the Yukon Washbrook, Kevin
Abstract
Yukon land claims settlements mandate that First Nations and the territorial government cooperatively manage renewable resources. As these groups are brought together in decision making, developing an understanding of culturally specific constructions of the non-human world and the ways in which these motivate managers will be necessary if conflict in management is to be avoided. This paper explores the usefulness of a cognitive approach for clarifying the ways in which shared cultural models for the environment motivate individuals to pursue different actions in resource management. In the Yukon, important, motivating models for First Nations and non-First Nations individuals appear to be, respectively, that Nature is a set of social relationships and Nature is a system akin to the economy. The influence of these models upon resource management is examined through the case study of an interaction over catch-and-release fishing regulations. Understanding the operation of these models in the north, where First Nations are situated as embedded communities in the larger non-Native society, requires a framework such as that provided by a distributive model of culture. This paper uses such a model to examine the production, dissemination and patterns of distribution of schemas for Nature in the north, and the ways in which local and scientific knowledge compliment and conflict in the negotiation of meaning. This examination points out that models for Nature are used not only to interpret the non-human world, but also to mark identity and to resist or promote incorporation into the larger society. Though it cannot provide complete explanations for behaviour or decision making, a cultural models approach to cross-cultural resource management is capable of providing insight into the motivations which underlie the actions of managers and resource users. More generally, the approach provides a framework within which to examine the distribution and contestation of meaning in society, and the ways in which these meanings motivate individuals. As a result, it allows anthropology to study society and culture without creating false dichotomies between individual and social meaning and without relying upon conceptualizations of culture as an overly coherent system.
Item Metadata
Title |
Negotiating the nature of nature : a cultural models approach to meaning, motivation and cooperative resource management in the Yukon
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
1996
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Description |
Yukon land claims settlements mandate that First Nations and the territorial government
cooperatively manage renewable resources. As these groups are brought together in decision making,
developing an understanding of culturally specific constructions of the non-human world and the ways
in which these motivate managers will be necessary if conflict in management is to be avoided.
This paper explores the usefulness of a cognitive approach for clarifying the ways in which shared
cultural models for the environment motivate individuals to pursue different actions in resource
management. In the Yukon, important, motivating models for First Nations and non-First Nations
individuals appear to be, respectively, that Nature is a set of social relationships and Nature is a system
akin to the economy. The influence of these models upon resource management is examined through
the case study of an interaction over catch-and-release fishing regulations.
Understanding the operation of these models in the north, where First Nations are situated as
embedded communities in the larger non-Native society, requires a framework such as that provided
by a distributive model of culture. This paper uses such a model to examine the production,
dissemination and patterns of distribution of schemas for Nature in the north, and the ways in which
local and scientific knowledge compliment and conflict in the negotiation of meaning. This
examination points out that models for Nature are used not only to interpret the non-human world,
but also to mark identity and to resist or promote incorporation into the larger society. Though it
cannot provide complete explanations for behaviour or decision making, a cultural models approach
to cross-cultural resource management is capable of providing insight into the motivations which
underlie the actions of managers and resource users. More generally, the approach provides a
framework within which to examine the distribution and contestation of meaning in society, and the
ways in which these meanings motivate individuals. As a result, it allows anthropology to study
society and culture without creating false dichotomies between individual and social meaning and
without relying upon conceptualizations of culture as an overly coherent system.
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Extent |
3171549 bytes
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Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
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Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2009-03-16
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0087805
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
1996-11
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.