A Review of Japanese Ecological Anthropology on Central African Hunter-gatherers

Contemporary hunter-gatherers in central Africa face similar problems concerning their culture and environment: destruction of the forests that have been accommodating their unique forest-based culture, influences of market economy and consumerism, and nature conservation initiatives that restrict t...

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Main Author: Mitsuo Ichikawa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Laboratoire Éco-anthropologie et Ethnobiologie 2021-12-01
Series:Revue d'ethnoécologie
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/ethnoecologie/8401
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author Mitsuo Ichikawa
author_facet Mitsuo Ichikawa
author_sort Mitsuo Ichikawa
collection DOAJ
description Contemporary hunter-gatherers in central Africa face similar problems concerning their culture and environment: destruction of the forests that have been accommodating their unique forest-based culture, influences of market economy and consumerism, and nature conservation initiatives that restrict their extractive activities in protected areas. In order to cope with these problems, it is important to understand their life and culture in local ecological settings, as well as in historical and wider economic and political contexts. I will describe here three approaches that have been taken and developed by Japanese ecological anthropologists to the study of central African hunter-gatherers. The three approaches are (1) cultural ecology, which describes the way the hunter-gatherers perceive, understand and utilize the forest environment, (2) historical ecology, which shows how they modify the forest through interacting with it, and (3) political ecology, which analyzes how the economic and political situation influences their relationship with the forest. I will then examine the implications of the results from these approaches for addressing the current problems faced by the central African forest hunter-gatherers and their environment.
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spelling doaj-art-896d8f15dd50423aaeb5fb3eb00eaf2b2025-02-05T16:25:08ZengLaboratoire Éco-anthropologie et EthnobiologieRevue d'ethnoécologie2267-24192021-12-012010.4000/ethnoecologie.8401A Review of Japanese Ecological Anthropology on Central African Hunter-gatherersMitsuo IchikawaContemporary hunter-gatherers in central Africa face similar problems concerning their culture and environment: destruction of the forests that have been accommodating their unique forest-based culture, influences of market economy and consumerism, and nature conservation initiatives that restrict their extractive activities in protected areas. In order to cope with these problems, it is important to understand their life and culture in local ecological settings, as well as in historical and wider economic and political contexts. I will describe here three approaches that have been taken and developed by Japanese ecological anthropologists to the study of central African hunter-gatherers. The three approaches are (1) cultural ecology, which describes the way the hunter-gatherers perceive, understand and utilize the forest environment, (2) historical ecology, which shows how they modify the forest through interacting with it, and (3) political ecology, which analyzes how the economic and political situation influences their relationship with the forest. I will then examine the implications of the results from these approaches for addressing the current problems faced by the central African forest hunter-gatherers and their environment.https://journals.openedition.org/ethnoecologie/8401historical ecologypolitical ecologyhunter-gathererstropical forestscultural ecology
spellingShingle Mitsuo Ichikawa
A Review of Japanese Ecological Anthropology on Central African Hunter-gatherers
Revue d'ethnoécologie
historical ecology
political ecology
hunter-gatherers
tropical forests
cultural ecology
title A Review of Japanese Ecological Anthropology on Central African Hunter-gatherers
title_full A Review of Japanese Ecological Anthropology on Central African Hunter-gatherers
title_fullStr A Review of Japanese Ecological Anthropology on Central African Hunter-gatherers
title_full_unstemmed A Review of Japanese Ecological Anthropology on Central African Hunter-gatherers
title_short A Review of Japanese Ecological Anthropology on Central African Hunter-gatherers
title_sort review of japanese ecological anthropology on central african hunter gatherers
topic historical ecology
political ecology
hunter-gatherers
tropical forests
cultural ecology
url https://journals.openedition.org/ethnoecologie/8401
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