The landscape of childhood: play and place as tools to understanding children’s enviromental use and perceptions
- Alexander, Jamie K, Cocks, Michelle L, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Alexander, Jamie K , Cocks, Michelle L , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141165 , vital:37949 , DOI: 10.1007/s10745-015-9755-z
- Description: Research has shown that children are the greatest users of natural areas and that childhood experiences strongly shape adults’ environmental values. This project was designed to ascertain children’s environmental uses and perceptions in two rural villages in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, utilising children’s use of the environment for play and their sense of place as key focus areas. Several factors influenced children’s environmental use, including safety fears, increased consumption of western media and environmental restrictions imposed by the state, revealing how South Africa’s high level of violence against women and children contributes to gendered environmental use and knowledge, and bringing about concern for children’s cultural identity in an increasingly westernised world.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Alexander, Jamie K , Cocks, Michelle L , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141165 , vital:37949 , DOI: 10.1007/s10745-015-9755-z
- Description: Research has shown that children are the greatest users of natural areas and that childhood experiences strongly shape adults’ environmental values. This project was designed to ascertain children’s environmental uses and perceptions in two rural villages in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, utilising children’s use of the environment for play and their sense of place as key focus areas. Several factors influenced children’s environmental use, including safety fears, increased consumption of western media and environmental restrictions imposed by the state, revealing how South Africa’s high level of violence against women and children contributes to gendered environmental use and knowledge, and bringing about concern for children’s cultural identity in an increasingly westernised world.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Imbhola yesiXhosa traditional Xhosa cosmetics:
- Cocks, Michelle L, Dold, Anthony P
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2005
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141370 , vital:37966 , http://pza.sanbi.org/sites/default/files/info_library/imbhola_yesixhosa_pdf.pdf
- Description: Plants have been used for cosmetic purposes since time immemorial. The earliest known cosmetics come from the First Dynasty of Egypt, about 3100-2907 BC. Since the ancient Egyptians who used olive oil perfumed with aromatic plants to keep their skin supple, humans have been using plant extracts for cleansing and beautifying purposes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2005
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141370 , vital:37966 , http://pza.sanbi.org/sites/default/files/info_library/imbhola_yesixhosa_pdf.pdf
- Description: Plants have been used for cosmetic purposes since time immemorial. The earliest known cosmetics come from the First Dynasty of Egypt, about 3100-2907 BC. Since the ancient Egyptians who used olive oil perfumed with aromatic plants to keep their skin supple, humans have been using plant extracts for cleansing and beautifying purposes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
Seeing the wood for the trees: the role of woody resources for the construction of gender specific household cultural artefacts in non-traditional communities in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Cocks, Michelle L, Bangay, Lindsey, Wiersum, K Freerk, Dold, Anthony P
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Bangay, Lindsey , Wiersum, K Freerk , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6823 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003830
- Description: There is a growing wealth of data capturing the direct-use values of the environment and recognition of forests and wild resources as representing ‘‘the poor man’s overcoat’’. This focus has however resulted in an emphasis on the utilitarian values of wild resources for rural livelihoods and has for the most part overlooked their cultural values. In tangent to these developments within the field of anthropology there has been increased attention directed towards the relationship between biodiversity and human diversity over the past decade. This has resulted in the recognition of what the Declaration of Belem calls an ‘inextricable link’ between biological and cultural diversity. The term bio-cultural diversity has been introduced as a concept denoting this link. Consequently there is a need for more elaborate assessments of the various ways in which different groups of people find value in biodiversity. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the cultural significance of wild harvested plant resources for the maintenance of two gender specific cultural artefacts for amaXhosa people in South Africa, to assess the persistence of these practices in rapidly modernizing communities. We demonstrate the endurance of these ancient cultural artefacts in present-day peri-urban communities and suggest that they point to the need for improved understanding of the significance of bio-cultural diversity. The findings of the study should not be interpreted as illustrating stagnation in the traditional past, but rather as pointing at the need for improved understanding of the significance of bio-cultural diversity in a dynamic sense.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Bangay, Lindsey , Wiersum, K Freerk , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6823 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003830
- Description: There is a growing wealth of data capturing the direct-use values of the environment and recognition of forests and wild resources as representing ‘‘the poor man’s overcoat’’. This focus has however resulted in an emphasis on the utilitarian values of wild resources for rural livelihoods and has for the most part overlooked their cultural values. In tangent to these developments within the field of anthropology there has been increased attention directed towards the relationship between biodiversity and human diversity over the past decade. This has resulted in the recognition of what the Declaration of Belem calls an ‘inextricable link’ between biological and cultural diversity. The term bio-cultural diversity has been introduced as a concept denoting this link. Consequently there is a need for more elaborate assessments of the various ways in which different groups of people find value in biodiversity. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the cultural significance of wild harvested plant resources for the maintenance of two gender specific cultural artefacts for amaXhosa people in South Africa, to assess the persistence of these practices in rapidly modernizing communities. We demonstrate the endurance of these ancient cultural artefacts in present-day peri-urban communities and suggest that they point to the need for improved understanding of the significance of bio-cultural diversity. The findings of the study should not be interpreted as illustrating stagnation in the traditional past, but rather as pointing at the need for improved understanding of the significance of bio-cultural diversity in a dynamic sense.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Towards an understanding of Amayeza esiXhosa stores (African chemists): how they operate, and the services they offer in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L
- Date: 1997
- Subjects: Medical anthropology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Traditional medicine -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:2096 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002659 , Medical anthropology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Traditional medicine -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: In medical anthropology there has been a tendency to dichotomize western biomedical . healtb services, on the one hand, and traditional health care practices on the other. Much attention has been focused on the comparison between these two approaches in the hope that they might be reconciled. The problem with this approach is twofold. In the first place, it has not always acknowledged the local, historic~1, political and economic contexts in which different approaches to health care have evolved and in the second place, health care services which belong to neither the western nor traditional healing spheres and which are driven by commercial interests have been almost completely neglected because they fall outside of the basic dichotomy. Amayeza stores have been a feature of South African towns and cities for many years. They mayor may not be run by Africans, but their clientele is almost exclusively African in this region. They deal in a bewildering variety of products and remedies, from untreated herbal and animal products to pharmaceuticals specially prepared for the African market, to Dutch and Indian Remedies. These stores both reflect transfonnations in indigenous perceptions of health care and, by virtue of the choices they offer, generate change. In this empirical study three stores in the Eastern Cape are selected for detailed study - two in King William's Town, the regional capital, and one in the small town of Peddie. The approach is holistic, emphasizing the social, political and economic context, the business histories and running of each shop, and, in particular, the perceptions and choices of a sample of the customers in each case. The success of the amayeza phenomenon derives from its eclecticism and syncretism. These stores impose neither a western nor a traditional model of health care on their clients, but offer them a range of choices that reflects the complex multicultural history of their own South African society.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1997
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L
- Date: 1997
- Subjects: Medical anthropology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Traditional medicine -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:2096 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002659 , Medical anthropology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Traditional medicine -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: In medical anthropology there has been a tendency to dichotomize western biomedical . healtb services, on the one hand, and traditional health care practices on the other. Much attention has been focused on the comparison between these two approaches in the hope that they might be reconciled. The problem with this approach is twofold. In the first place, it has not always acknowledged the local, historic~1, political and economic contexts in which different approaches to health care have evolved and in the second place, health care services which belong to neither the western nor traditional healing spheres and which are driven by commercial interests have been almost completely neglected because they fall outside of the basic dichotomy. Amayeza stores have been a feature of South African towns and cities for many years. They mayor may not be run by Africans, but their clientele is almost exclusively African in this region. They deal in a bewildering variety of products and remedies, from untreated herbal and animal products to pharmaceuticals specially prepared for the African market, to Dutch and Indian Remedies. These stores both reflect transfonnations in indigenous perceptions of health care and, by virtue of the choices they offer, generate change. In this empirical study three stores in the Eastern Cape are selected for detailed study - two in King William's Town, the regional capital, and one in the small town of Peddie. The approach is holistic, emphasizing the social, political and economic context, the business histories and running of each shop, and, in particular, the perceptions and choices of a sample of the customers in each case. The success of the amayeza phenomenon derives from its eclecticism and syncretism. These stores impose neither a western nor a traditional model of health care on their clients, but offer them a range of choices that reflects the complex multicultural history of their own South African society.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1997
Urban Nature: Enriching Belonging, Wellbeing and Bioculture
- Cocks, Michelle L, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175698 , vital:42616 , ISBN 9781000215182
- Description: This book showcases the diversity of ways in which urban residents from varying cultural contexts view, interact, engage with and give meaning to urban nature, aiming to counterbalance the dominance of Western depictions and values of urban nature and design. Urban nature has up to now largely been defined, planned and managed in a way that is heavily dominated by Western understandings, values and appreciations, which has spread through colonialism and globalisation. As cities increasingly represent a diversity of cultures, and urban nature is being increasingly recognised as contributing to residents' wellbeing, belonging and overall quality of life, it is important to consider the numerous ways in which urban nature is understood and appreciated. This collection of case studies includes examples from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, and reflects on the multi-dimensional aspects of engagements with urban nature through a biocultural diversity lens.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175698 , vital:42616 , ISBN 9781000215182
- Description: This book showcases the diversity of ways in which urban residents from varying cultural contexts view, interact, engage with and give meaning to urban nature, aiming to counterbalance the dominance of Western depictions and values of urban nature and design. Urban nature has up to now largely been defined, planned and managed in a way that is heavily dominated by Western understandings, values and appreciations, which has spread through colonialism and globalisation. As cities increasingly represent a diversity of cultures, and urban nature is being increasingly recognised as contributing to residents' wellbeing, belonging and overall quality of life, it is important to consider the numerous ways in which urban nature is understood and appreciated. This collection of case studies includes examples from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, and reflects on the multi-dimensional aspects of engagements with urban nature through a biocultural diversity lens.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Mlanjeni's war charms: Ikhubalo likaMlanjeni
- Cocks, Michelle L, Dold, Anthony P
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141349 , vital:37964 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC112911
- Description: Most South Africans are familiar with lucky charms such as the four leaved clover of European origin, the Hamsa Hand (Arabic) or Hamesh Hand (Hebrew), the Hindu lucky elephant representing Ganesha, son of Siva, or the African ikhubalo. Amakhubalo refer to charms, often of plant origin, that have magical powers to ward off danger or to bring good luck. Charm plants are used almost everywhere in the Eastern Cape to ensure health, luck and success in sporting events, business, courtship, legal proceedings, safety against accidents and crime and protection against jealousy and sorcery.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141349 , vital:37964 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC112911
- Description: Most South Africans are familiar with lucky charms such as the four leaved clover of European origin, the Hamsa Hand (Arabic) or Hamesh Hand (Hebrew), the Hindu lucky elephant representing Ganesha, son of Siva, or the African ikhubalo. Amakhubalo refer to charms, often of plant origin, that have magical powers to ward off danger or to bring good luck. Charm plants are used almost everywhere in the Eastern Cape to ensure health, luck and success in sporting events, business, courtship, legal proceedings, safety against accidents and crime and protection against jealousy and sorcery.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
The Cultural Use of the Wild Olive Tree by the amaXhosa People in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa:
- Cocks, Michelle L, Dold, Anthony P
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141314 , vital:37961 , DOI: 10.1558/jsrnc.v2i3.292
- Description: The cultural meanings of harvested plants have for the most part been ignored in academic research on non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in southern Africa. Historically scientists have tended to ignore the complex relationships between nature and culture. Given the country's unique political and economic past and the current search for sustainable use of natural resources, a focus on the convergence of natural science and cultural diversity is important at this time. Empirical data on cultural practices is being collected in order to develop fresh and relevant insights into the complex relationships between culture and bítKÜversity. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the concept of culture needs to be brought into our understanding of the role of NTFPs. We dtxrument the use and value of a specific tree, Olea europaea L. subsp. africana (Mill.) P,S. Green, called Umiicjuma in the Xhosa language, for cultural purposes, by both rural and urban households.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141314 , vital:37961 , DOI: 10.1558/jsrnc.v2i3.292
- Description: The cultural meanings of harvested plants have for the most part been ignored in academic research on non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in southern Africa. Historically scientists have tended to ignore the complex relationships between nature and culture. Given the country's unique political and economic past and the current search for sustainable use of natural resources, a focus on the convergence of natural science and cultural diversity is important at this time. Empirical data on cultural practices is being collected in order to develop fresh and relevant insights into the complex relationships between culture and bítKÜversity. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the concept of culture needs to be brought into our understanding of the role of NTFPs. We dtxrument the use and value of a specific tree, Olea europaea L. subsp. africana (Mill.) P,S. Green, called Umiicjuma in the Xhosa language, for cultural purposes, by both rural and urban households.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
From universal to local: perspectives on cultural landscape heritage in South Africa
- Cocks, Michelle L, Vetter, Susan M, Wiersum, K Frerrk
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Vetter, Susan M , Wiersum, K Frerrk
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141150 , vital:37948 , https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2017.1362573
- Description: The concept of cultural landscapes relates to the multifaceted links between people, place and identity. From a professional perspective, the concept refers to a category of designated conservation areas with specific biocultural heritage values. From a local perspective, it may refer to a landscape that is associated with the provision of a culturally-specific sense of identity and belonging. We explore these two perspectives through a comparative analysis of three cultural landscapes in South Africa, the ‘expert’ designated Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape and the Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape, and the local associative landscape of emaXhoseni, which is not formally recognised. We propose that a biocultural diversity perspective of heritage not only recognises the inextricable relationship between nature and culture, but it also gives prominence to the beliefs, values and practices of local people, and to strengthening their agency to safeguard their heritage in ways and forms that are relevant to them.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Vetter, Susan M , Wiersum, K Frerrk
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141150 , vital:37948 , https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2017.1362573
- Description: The concept of cultural landscapes relates to the multifaceted links between people, place and identity. From a professional perspective, the concept refers to a category of designated conservation areas with specific biocultural heritage values. From a local perspective, it may refer to a landscape that is associated with the provision of a culturally-specific sense of identity and belonging. We explore these two perspectives through a comparative analysis of three cultural landscapes in South Africa, the ‘expert’ designated Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape and the Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape, and the local associative landscape of emaXhoseni, which is not formally recognised. We propose that a biocultural diversity perspective of heritage not only recognises the inextricable relationship between nature and culture, but it also gives prominence to the beliefs, values and practices of local people, and to strengthening their agency to safeguard their heritage in ways and forms that are relevant to them.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Ways of belonging: meanings of “Nature” among Xhosa-speaking township residents in South Africa
- Cocks, Michelle L, Alexander, Jamie K, Mogano, Lydia, Vetter, Susan M
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Alexander, Jamie K , Mogano, Lydia , Vetter, Susan M
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/66021 , vital:28877 , https://doi.org/10.2993/0278-0771-36.4.820
- Description: publisher version , The concept of biocultural diversity, originally used to describe indigenous people and their ways of using and managing natural resources, has more recently been applied within the urban context to understand the variability of interactions between humans and nature. Significant progress has been made internationally in acknowledging the need to preserve and maintain green spaces in urban environments. Current efforts to address the need for greening urban areas in South Africa primarily focus on the establishment and maintenance of botanical gardens and parks as well as various green belts within the urban landscape. South Africa's urban areas are overwhelmingly shaped by the historical segregation of space and stark disparities in wealth. The distribution, quality, and extent of urban green spaces reflect this. Many township dwellers do not have access to these amenities and their interactions with nature are thus usually constrained to access to municipal commonages. This article explores how areas of natural vegetation in municipal commonages on the outskirts of urban centers in South Africa continue to offer places of cultural, spiritual, and restorative importance to Xhosa-speaking township dwellers. A case study from Grahamstown, an urban center in the Eastern Cape with a population of around 80,000, illustrates how ability to access and move through such places contributes to people's well-being, identity formation, and shared heritage. A case is made for adopting a biocultural diversity approach to spatial planning and urban development within the South African context.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Alexander, Jamie K , Mogano, Lydia , Vetter, Susan M
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/66021 , vital:28877 , https://doi.org/10.2993/0278-0771-36.4.820
- Description: publisher version , The concept of biocultural diversity, originally used to describe indigenous people and their ways of using and managing natural resources, has more recently been applied within the urban context to understand the variability of interactions between humans and nature. Significant progress has been made internationally in acknowledging the need to preserve and maintain green spaces in urban environments. Current efforts to address the need for greening urban areas in South Africa primarily focus on the establishment and maintenance of botanical gardens and parks as well as various green belts within the urban landscape. South Africa's urban areas are overwhelmingly shaped by the historical segregation of space and stark disparities in wealth. The distribution, quality, and extent of urban green spaces reflect this. Many township dwellers do not have access to these amenities and their interactions with nature are thus usually constrained to access to municipal commonages. This article explores how areas of natural vegetation in municipal commonages on the outskirts of urban centers in South Africa continue to offer places of cultural, spiritual, and restorative importance to Xhosa-speaking township dwellers. A case study from Grahamstown, an urban center in the Eastern Cape with a population of around 80,000, illustrates how ability to access and move through such places contributes to people's well-being, identity formation, and shared heritage. A case is made for adopting a biocultural diversity approach to spatial planning and urban development within the South African context.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2016
Reappraising the concept of biocultural diversity: a perspective from South Africa
- Cocks, Michelle L, Wiersum, K Freerk
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Wiersum, K Freerk
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141176 , vital:37950 , DOI: 10.1007/s10745-014-9681-5
- Description: Biocultural diversity has been conceptualised as the sum of the world’s differences regarding biological diversity at all levels and cultural diversity in all its manifestations, and their interactions. The concept is often framed in the context of conservation as a retention versus loss model by emphasizing the religious and spiritual values of the natural environment and the positive interactions between traditional indigenous people and conservation of natural ecosystems and indigenous species. On the basis of our research amongst the ‘non-traditional’ amaXhosa in South Africa, we argue that this interpretation is too narrow and that the concept needs to be reappraised in order to capture the dynamic, complex and relational nature of bio-cultural diversity relations. We conclude that the concept involves a complex of human values and practices related to the three main dimensions of biodiversity at landscapes, species and genetic levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Wiersum, K Freerk
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141176 , vital:37950 , DOI: 10.1007/s10745-014-9681-5
- Description: Biocultural diversity has been conceptualised as the sum of the world’s differences regarding biological diversity at all levels and cultural diversity in all its manifestations, and their interactions. The concept is often framed in the context of conservation as a retention versus loss model by emphasizing the religious and spiritual values of the natural environment and the positive interactions between traditional indigenous people and conservation of natural ecosystems and indigenous species. On the basis of our research amongst the ‘non-traditional’ amaXhosa in South Africa, we argue that this interpretation is too narrow and that the concept needs to be reappraised in order to capture the dynamic, complex and relational nature of bio-cultural diversity relations. We conclude that the concept involves a complex of human values and practices related to the three main dimensions of biodiversity at landscapes, species and genetic levels.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Biocultural diversity: moving beyond the realm of ‘indigenous’ and ‘local’ people
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:7107 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1010681
- Description: During the past decade the relationship between biodiversity and human diversity has received increased attention, resulting in the identification of what the Declaration of Belém calls an ‘inextricable link’ between biological and cultural diversity. Although the term biocultural diversity, introduced to denote this link, is being used increasingly, there has been little critical reflection on what it precisely refers to. I argue that it is used with particular reference to ‘indigenous traditional’ people, but that there is scope for extending its application within biocultural discourse. I therefore review the concept of culture and discuss what constitutes cultural values of the natural environment. I conclude that the concept of culture must be understood as involving a dynamic process of transcultural exchange and constant re-articulations of tradition resulting in the persistence of certain cultural practices. This approach ultimately reveals that the concept of biocultural diversity is also applicable to non-indigenous traditional communities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:7107 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1010681
- Description: During the past decade the relationship between biodiversity and human diversity has received increased attention, resulting in the identification of what the Declaration of Belém calls an ‘inextricable link’ between biological and cultural diversity. Although the term biocultural diversity, introduced to denote this link, is being used increasingly, there has been little critical reflection on what it precisely refers to. I argue that it is used with particular reference to ‘indigenous traditional’ people, but that there is scope for extending its application within biocultural discourse. I therefore review the concept of culture and discuss what constitutes cultural values of the natural environment. I conclude that the concept of culture must be understood as involving a dynamic process of transcultural exchange and constant re-articulations of tradition resulting in the persistence of certain cultural practices. This approach ultimately reveals that the concept of biocultural diversity is also applicable to non-indigenous traditional communities.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Situating biocultural relations in city and townscapes:
- Cocks, Michelle L, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175733 , vital:42619 , ISBN 9781000215182
- Description: The different geographic regions represented in the book have brought to the fore the diversity of ways in which nature is conceptualised, which have in turn influenced the types of nature found in urban areas. Through processes of urbanisation, colonialism, immigration and migration a diversity of cultural groups now live in urban areas and consequently, biocultural relationships have been suppressed, reshaped or enriched. Accordingly, a diversity of uses, experiences, cosmologies, interactions and engagement with the nature are now found which, for many, offer opportunities to strengthen a sense of wellbeing and belonging. Within these diversities of ontological framings of nature and ways of being, conflicting tensions emerge which are further impacted upon by micro and macro social, economic and political processes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175733 , vital:42619 , ISBN 9781000215182
- Description: The different geographic regions represented in the book have brought to the fore the diversity of ways in which nature is conceptualised, which have in turn influenced the types of nature found in urban areas. Through processes of urbanisation, colonialism, immigration and migration a diversity of cultural groups now live in urban areas and consequently, biocultural relationships have been suppressed, reshaped or enriched. Accordingly, a diversity of uses, experiences, cosmologies, interactions and engagement with the nature are now found which, for many, offer opportunities to strengthen a sense of wellbeing and belonging. Within these diversities of ontological framings of nature and ways of being, conflicting tensions emerge which are further impacted upon by micro and macro social, economic and political processes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2020
Use of indigenous and indigenised medicines to enhance personal well-being: a South African case study
- Cocks, Michelle L, Moller, Valerie
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Moller, Valerie
- Date: 2002
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:7106 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1010679
- Description: An estimated 27 million South Africans use indigenous medicines (Mander, 1997, Medicinal plant marketing and strategies for sustaining the plant supply in the Bushbuckridge area and Mpumalanga Province. Institute for Natural Resources, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa). Although herbal remedies are freely available in amayeza stores, or Xhosa chemists, for self-medication, little is known about the motivations of consumers. According to African belief systems, good health is holistic and extends to the person's social environment. The paper makes a distinction between traditional medicines which are used to enhance personal well-being generally and for cultural purposes, on the one hand, and medicines used to treat physical conditions only, on the other. Drawing on an eight-month study of Xhosa chemists in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, in 1996, the paper identifies 90 medicines in stock which are used to enhance personal well-being. Just under one-third of all purchases were of medicines to enhance well-being. Remedies particularly popular included medicines believed to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck. The protection of infants with medicines which repel evil spirits is a common practice. Consumer behaviours indicate that the range of medicines available is increased by indigenisation of manufactured traditional medicines and cross-cultural borrowing. Case studies confirm that self- and infant medication with indigenous remedies augmented by indigenised medicines plays an important role in primary health care by allaying the fears and anxieties of everyday life within the Xhosa belief system, thereby promoting personal well-being.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2002
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Moller, Valerie
- Date: 2002
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:7106 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1010679
- Description: An estimated 27 million South Africans use indigenous medicines (Mander, 1997, Medicinal plant marketing and strategies for sustaining the plant supply in the Bushbuckridge area and Mpumalanga Province. Institute for Natural Resources, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa). Although herbal remedies are freely available in amayeza stores, or Xhosa chemists, for self-medication, little is known about the motivations of consumers. According to African belief systems, good health is holistic and extends to the person's social environment. The paper makes a distinction between traditional medicines which are used to enhance personal well-being generally and for cultural purposes, on the one hand, and medicines used to treat physical conditions only, on the other. Drawing on an eight-month study of Xhosa chemists in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, in 1996, the paper identifies 90 medicines in stock which are used to enhance personal well-being. Just under one-third of all purchases were of medicines to enhance well-being. Remedies particularly popular included medicines believed to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck. The protection of infants with medicines which repel evil spirits is a common practice. Consumer behaviours indicate that the range of medicines available is increased by indigenisation of manufactured traditional medicines and cross-cultural borrowing. Case studies confirm that self- and infant medication with indigenous remedies augmented by indigenised medicines plays an important role in primary health care by allaying the fears and anxieties of everyday life within the Xhosa belief system, thereby promoting personal well-being.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2002
Cultural importance of non-timber forest products: opportunities they pose for bio-cultural diversity in dynamic societies
- Cocks, Michelle L, López, Citlalli, Dold, Anthony P
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , López, Citlalli , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141453 , vital:37973 , ISBN 9783642179822 , DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-17983-9_5
- Description: There is an increasing awareness that monetary value does not fully represent the complete value and significance of NTFPs. Consequently, there is growing interest in the cultural dimensions of biodiversity and the role that it plays in human well-being. This chapter presents two case studies, one on traditional brooms in South Africa, and the other on amate paper in Mexico, to demonstrate the importance of cultural values on driving demand for NTFPs. Because cultural values are so deeply embedded, the demand for culturally valued NTFPs continue across the rural-urban divide, and are maintained even by modernising urban communities. This poses particular challenges, not only for conservation of the NTFPs, but also to sustain cultural diversity in a rapidly changing world.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , López, Citlalli , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2011
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141453 , vital:37973 , ISBN 9783642179822 , DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-17983-9_5
- Description: There is an increasing awareness that monetary value does not fully represent the complete value and significance of NTFPs. Consequently, there is growing interest in the cultural dimensions of biodiversity and the role that it plays in human well-being. This chapter presents two case studies, one on traditional brooms in South Africa, and the other on amate paper in Mexico, to demonstrate the importance of cultural values on driving demand for NTFPs. Because cultural values are so deeply embedded, the demand for culturally valued NTFPs continue across the rural-urban divide, and are maintained even by modernising urban communities. This poses particular challenges, not only for conservation of the NTFPs, but also to sustain cultural diversity in a rapidly changing world.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Cultural significance of biodiversity: the role of medicinal plants in urban African cultural practices in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Cocks, Michelle L, Dold, Anthony P
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141338 , vital:37963 , DOI: 10.2993/0278-0771(2006)26[60:CSOBTR]2.0.CO;2
- Description: Since the International Convention on Biodiversity in 1992 conservation biologists, ecologists and conservationists have devoted considerable attention to the conservation of biodiversity. With this has come the realization that solutions to biological problems often lie in the mechanisms of social, cultural, and economic systems. This shift has emphasized the relationship between biodiversity and human diversity, or what the Declaration of Belem (1988) calls an “inextricable link” between biological and cultural diversity. The term biocultural diversity was introduced by Posey to describe the concept denoting this link. To date this concept has been used only in reference to “indigenous people” who, as part of their traditional lifestyles, use biodiversity to sustain their cultural identity. Our research, however, demonstrates that Xhosa people (amaXhosa) living in an urban context in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa continue to use wild plants for cultural purposes and often access these through commercial trade. We suggest that recognition of the cultural and spiritual values associated with wild plants would greatly enhance biodiversity conservation efforts. Recognition of the significant role that wild plants play in fulfilling cultural needs for urban Xhosa people would go a long way towards achieving this.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141338 , vital:37963 , DOI: 10.2993/0278-0771(2006)26[60:CSOBTR]2.0.CO;2
- Description: Since the International Convention on Biodiversity in 1992 conservation biologists, ecologists and conservationists have devoted considerable attention to the conservation of biodiversity. With this has come the realization that solutions to biological problems often lie in the mechanisms of social, cultural, and economic systems. This shift has emphasized the relationship between biodiversity and human diversity, or what the Declaration of Belem (1988) calls an “inextricable link” between biological and cultural diversity. The term biocultural diversity was introduced by Posey to describe the concept denoting this link. To date this concept has been used only in reference to “indigenous people” who, as part of their traditional lifestyles, use biodiversity to sustain their cultural identity. Our research, however, demonstrates that Xhosa people (amaXhosa) living in an urban context in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa continue to use wild plants for cultural purposes and often access these through commercial trade. We suggest that recognition of the cultural and spiritual values associated with wild plants would greatly enhance biodiversity conservation efforts. Recognition of the significant role that wild plants play in fulfilling cultural needs for urban Xhosa people would go a long way towards achieving this.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Inkcubeko Nendalo: a bio-cultural diversity schools education project in South Africa and its implications for inclusive Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) Sustainability.
- Cocks, Michelle L, Alexander, Jamie K, Dold, Anthony P
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Alexander, Jamie K , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141187 , vital:37951 , DOI: 10.1177/0973408212475232
- Description: South Africa is currently the world’s third most biodiverse country, with one of the highest concentrations of threatened biodiversity in the world. Emerging research reveals the increasing pressure on this biodiversity with many wild resources continuing to be utilised for livelihood purposes even within urban environments. The Rio conventions, particularly the CBD, call for an integrated approach to conservation that incorporates local environmental knowledge and practices. In a bid to market itself as globally competitive, South Africa’s Curriculum 2005 (C 2005) is primarily focused on Western-based scientific knowledge, which sidelines the contribution of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) and ignores the holistic nature of indigenous worldviews. The Inkcubeko Nendalo programme is designed to revitalise cultural identity, showing children the value of local indigenous knowledge and cultural environmental values.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Alexander, Jamie K , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141187 , vital:37951 , DOI: 10.1177/0973408212475232
- Description: South Africa is currently the world’s third most biodiverse country, with one of the highest concentrations of threatened biodiversity in the world. Emerging research reveals the increasing pressure on this biodiversity with many wild resources continuing to be utilised for livelihood purposes even within urban environments. The Rio conventions, particularly the CBD, call for an integrated approach to conservation that incorporates local environmental knowledge and practices. In a bid to market itself as globally competitive, South Africa’s Curriculum 2005 (C 2005) is primarily focused on Western-based scientific knowledge, which sidelines the contribution of indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) and ignores the holistic nature of indigenous worldviews. The Inkcubeko Nendalo programme is designed to revitalise cultural identity, showing children the value of local indigenous knowledge and cultural environmental values.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
The role of ‘African Chemists’ in the health care system of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa
- Cocks, Michelle L, Dold, Anthony P
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2000
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:7105 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1010675
- Description: Self-medication is documented as an integral part of health care therapy in developing countries such as Ethiopia, Cameroon, Uganda and Mexico. In South Africa the types of illnesses and health problems that are referred to both traditional healers and biomedical practices have been well documented. However, very little literature exists on self-diagnosis, self-medication or sources of the medicines used for self-medication. This bias in the literature has come about largely because anthropological studies have focused on the later stages of the illness referral system when treatment is sought from a specialist for symptoms which have not responded to forms of self-medication. As a result of this, health care studies have documented the more exceptional exotic healing rituals and culturally bound syndromes of a particular society or community, and not discussed the more ordinary practices of self-medication of everyday illness. Self-medication is however an important initial response to illness and many illnesses are successfully managed at this stage. Amayeza stores (singular-iyeza store) — or ‘African chemists’ — are an important source of medicines for self-diagnosed illnesses. The current discussion focuses on the types of medicines and treatments that are obtained from amayeza stores without professional consultation in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2000
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Dold, Anthony P
- Date: 2000
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:7105 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1010675
- Description: Self-medication is documented as an integral part of health care therapy in developing countries such as Ethiopia, Cameroon, Uganda and Mexico. In South Africa the types of illnesses and health problems that are referred to both traditional healers and biomedical practices have been well documented. However, very little literature exists on self-diagnosis, self-medication or sources of the medicines used for self-medication. This bias in the literature has come about largely because anthropological studies have focused on the later stages of the illness referral system when treatment is sought from a specialist for symptoms which have not responded to forms of self-medication. As a result of this, health care studies have documented the more exceptional exotic healing rituals and culturally bound syndromes of a particular society or community, and not discussed the more ordinary practices of self-medication of everyday illness. Self-medication is however an important initial response to illness and many illnesses are successfully managed at this stage. Amayeza stores (singular-iyeza store) — or ‘African chemists’ — are an important source of medicines for self-diagnosed illnesses. The current discussion focuses on the types of medicines and treatments that are obtained from amayeza stores without professional consultation in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2000
A new broom: feature
- Cocks, Michelle L, Dold, Anthony P, Sizane, Nomtunzi
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Dold, Anthony P , Sizane, Nomtunzi
- Date: 2004
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141404 , vital:37969 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC112779
- Description: Traditional grass brooms keep certain cultural practices alive in urban areas and provide rural people with a means to earn an income.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Dold, Anthony P , Sizane, Nomtunzi
- Date: 2004
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141404 , vital:37969 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC112779
- Description: Traditional grass brooms keep certain cultural practices alive in urban areas and provide rural people with a means to earn an income.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2004
Challenges facing a community structure to implement CBNRM in the Eastern Cape, South Africa:
- Cocks, Michelle L, Dold, Anthony P, Grundy, Isla
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Dold, Anthony P , Grundy, Isla
- Date: 2001
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141416 , vital:37970 , http://asq.africa.ufl.edu/files/Cocks-Dold-Grundy-Vol-5-Issue-3.pdf
- Description: In most developing countries, community based natural resource management (CBNRM) initiatives have been adopted in an attempt to address the issue of environmental sustainability. This has largely come about due to an increasing recognition of the ineffectiveness of the state to achieve such sustainability. Within the South African context, recent policies have been drafted that aim to achieve these outcomes, which strongly articulate the need for the participation of local people in the management of natural resources both within communal areas and on state-owned land. The objectives of new policies, however, are not being met in the Eastern Cape of South Africa for the following key reasons: the insufficient recognition of the impact of past historical and political upheavals experienced within the former homelands’ situation; the government’s inability to process land applications; the government’s lack of ability and capacity to implement these policies; and frustratingly high levels of hierarchy at both the local and national level. The Masakane community, a group of former farm workers from the former Ciskei homeland in South Africa, are attempting to implement CBNRM initiatives. The Masakane case study reveals the urgent need to develop, implement and enforce new institutional and managerial arrangements, because without such arrangements state policies are unlikely to be implemented at the grassroots level.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2001
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L , Dold, Anthony P , Grundy, Isla
- Date: 2001
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141416 , vital:37970 , http://asq.africa.ufl.edu/files/Cocks-Dold-Grundy-Vol-5-Issue-3.pdf
- Description: In most developing countries, community based natural resource management (CBNRM) initiatives have been adopted in an attempt to address the issue of environmental sustainability. This has largely come about due to an increasing recognition of the ineffectiveness of the state to achieve such sustainability. Within the South African context, recent policies have been drafted that aim to achieve these outcomes, which strongly articulate the need for the participation of local people in the management of natural resources both within communal areas and on state-owned land. The objectives of new policies, however, are not being met in the Eastern Cape of South Africa for the following key reasons: the insufficient recognition of the impact of past historical and political upheavals experienced within the former homelands’ situation; the government’s inability to process land applications; the government’s lack of ability and capacity to implement these policies; and frustratingly high levels of hierarchy at both the local and national level. The Masakane community, a group of former farm workers from the former Ciskei homeland in South Africa, are attempting to implement CBNRM initiatives. The Masakane case study reveals the urgent need to develop, implement and enforce new institutional and managerial arrangements, because without such arrangements state policies are unlikely to be implemented at the grassroots level.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2001
What is biocultural diversity?: a theoretical review
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141475 , vital:37975 , ISBN 9781441957009 , DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-5701-6_5
- Description: Over the past decade, scholars from various fields have increasingly emphasized the detrimental effects of global socioeconomic processes on biodiversity. The industrial revolution, the demographic explosion of Homo sapiens, and the rise of the global exchange economy are all implicated as major factors that influence the loss of species diversity. From the late 1980s onward, biosystematics and conservation biology have successfully brought this concern to the attention of the public. Biodiversity is increasingly recognized as an essential resource on which families, communities, and nations depend. Biologists, ecologists, and conservationists have further recognized that solutions to biological problems lie in the mechanisms of social, cultural, and economic systems, which has led to attempts to place a monetary value on species and ecosystems to calculate the cost of using and conserving biodiversity.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Cocks, Michelle L
- Date: 2010
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141475 , vital:37975 , ISBN 9781441957009 , DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4419-5701-6_5
- Description: Over the past decade, scholars from various fields have increasingly emphasized the detrimental effects of global socioeconomic processes on biodiversity. The industrial revolution, the demographic explosion of Homo sapiens, and the rise of the global exchange economy are all implicated as major factors that influence the loss of species diversity. From the late 1980s onward, biosystematics and conservation biology have successfully brought this concern to the attention of the public. Biodiversity is increasingly recognized as an essential resource on which families, communities, and nations depend. Biologists, ecologists, and conservationists have further recognized that solutions to biological problems lie in the mechanisms of social, cultural, and economic systems, which has led to attempts to place a monetary value on species and ecosystems to calculate the cost of using and conserving biodiversity.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010