Ethnobotanies of refusal: Methodologies in respecting plant(ed)‐human resistance
Anthropology Today – April 01, 2019
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Indigenous claims to land and political sovereignty strengthen when tied to cultural heritage, particularly in Brazil. By examining conversations with a Brazilian shaman, the discussion highlights how plant healers, especially Indigenous practitioners, remain underrepresented in plant-focused dialogues. Using ayahuasca as a case study, the analysis reveals that certain plants and their guardians play crucial roles in collaborative survival. This work underscores the importance of traditional knowledge and advocates for methodologies that respect both human and botanical resistance against biopiracy.
Abstract
Elaborating on conversational exchanges with a Brazilian shaman about biopiracy and interweaving scholarly literature from the ontological and ‘botanical’ turn, the author examines the disciplinary as well as the political ramifications of plant healers and practitioners – particularly indigenous ones – going largely uncited in plant‐centred discussions. In Brazil, indigenous claims for territory and political sovereignty gain traction when they are linked to cultural patrimony. Highlighting ayahuasca as an example of the way that certain plants and people can be involved in collaborative survival, the author demonstrates the entwined semiotic‐material stakes of the botanical turn within claims for traditional knowledge and territory. Her analysis frames possible ethnobotanies and methodologies of refusal in respecting plant(ed)‐human resistance.