Foraging at the Edge of Capitalism

Projektinformationen

FORAGING

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 101001792

DOI

10.3030/101001792

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 4 Februar 2021

Startdatum 1 Januar 2022

Enddatum 31 Dezember 2026

Finanziert unter

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)

Gesamtkosten

€ 1 999 625,00

EU-Beitrag

€ 1 999 625,00

Koordiniert durch

LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - FORAGING (Foraging at the Edge of Capitalism)

Berichtszeitraum: 2023-07-01 bis 2024-12-31

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

In this moment of economic and environmental breakdown, an unexpected source of income has risen in global importance: foraging. Where the dream of a middle-class life based on a stable, salaried job no longer seems viable, and in places where the welfare state is under pressure, has never existed or has vanished, foraging is often the only avenue to upward social mobility. At the same time, the climate crisis and concerns for the rapid loss of biodiversity are raising the urgency for environmental conservation.

Broadly understood as practices of collecting, scavenging and gleaning, foraging is a global phenomenon of our times. However, it only gains patchy attention in mainstream debates on conservation and development. What is missing is a conceptual understanding of foraging as a basic mode of subsistence and a form of socio-environmental entanglement. The objective of this project is to take on this task and work towards a comprehensive political ecology of foraging in the Anthropocene.

Combining case studies in five locations into a comparative study and using collaborative and visual ethnographic methods,
we develop a deeper understanding of contemporary foraging practices around the world.

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

The project started with an extensive online research on foraging practices, followed by a selection of cases for closer inspection. Five subprojects have been developedk, covering field sites in Albania, Nepal, Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the USA. Ethnographic fieldwork in these locations is currently ongoing.

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

The project provides the first comparative study of foraging practices not limited to organic goods. Taking the practice of foraging as a basic economic strategy (different from "production" in agriculture and industry) we look into the socio-environmental entanglements that take place in the fuzzy fringes of a capitalist world economy. Apart from papers and conference presentations, expected results include an exhibition and documentary films.

Fritillaria bulbs collected in north-western Nepal.