Periodic Reporting for period 5 - DiGe (Ethnobotany of divided generations in the context of centralization)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-02-01 do 2023-01-31
The use of plants is part of complex human culture – local ethnobotanical heritage, specific to a place and the people inhabiting that place. Understanding the logic of obtaining, managing and perceiving local natural resources, particularly plants, is crucial for ensuring the sustainability of human life, as the use of plants is key for the survival of humans. Ethnobotanical knowledge is very practical: one needs to be able to recognize a plant in order not to pick up the wrong one, and to know exactly how to cook, prepare medicine, or build a roof with it. This practical knowledge is not static but constantly changing and adapting to new ecological, social, cultural and political conditions to meet the needs of societies. The main goal of DiGe project was to understand the dynamics of knowledge transmission and the influence of specific factors on changes in the utilization of local ecological resources. DiGe project has created an advanced understanding of the processes of change in the popular use of plants as food and medicine. Four case studies were conducted in the context of ethnic minorities that for shorter or longer periods were subject to various influences that changed their use of plant species. We have detected a strong influence of centralization and totalitarianism on the changes that have occurred in ethnobotanical knowledge. The next, post-project step, should be the creation of a platform for the development of educational tools for the sustainable preservation and use of local plant resources for the health and well-being of people.
During the project, the interdisciplinary and international team documented Local Ecological Knowledge (hereafter LEK) in 8 countries at 10 research sites in regions formerly occupied by Russia or that border the former Soviet Union. In addition to fieldwork, we spent months in various archives and libraries examining supporting information and original historical data. The gathered data is unique and in large part irreproducible, as only three (Finnish Karelia, Estonian Setomaa and Kihnu island in Estonia) of the 10 research sites have remained intact. The sites in Russia, being border zones, are currently inaccessible because of the war. The Polish-Lithuanian-Belarus tri-border region is a restricted zone with a considerably reduced population as a result of the migrant crisis imposed on Lithuania and Poland by the illegitimate Belarusian regime. The research sites in Ukraine and Romania have been heavily affected by the migration and social changes resulting from the ongoing war imposed by Russia on Ukraine.
After careful transcription of all interviews, and the systematization and analysis of the obtained data, the team succeeded in a) analysing field results for a majority of the research sites, b) conducting detailed investigations with the available archival data sufficient for scholarly study, and c) critically analysing previously published sources. In addition, we conducted a series of comparative studies using mixed method analysis, involving field results, historical study, and cross-border, cross-disciplinary and multinational approaches. Given the variety of unexpected developments that occurred during the course of the project, the team provided urgent responses according to our ability, addressing:
a) market policy changes in Ukraine,
b) early Russian propaganda,
c) COVID-19 responses at our research sites,
d) food security issues,
e) war in Ukraine by celebrating biocultural diversity,
f) conservation-related suppression of LEK.
The project results have been widely disseminated through various channels among:
a) the scientific community (published articles, participation at academic conferences)
b) the general public (popular publications, interviews in various media, participation at the Venice Biennale) and children (Ca’ Foscari Kids)
c) related industries, civil societies and professionals.
Two volumes of the Ark of Taste, for Estonia and Ukraine, have been published and have received a warm welcome from the target audience.
After careful transcription of all interviews, and the systematization and analysis of the obtained data, the team succeeded in a) analysing field results for a majority of the research sites, b) conducting detailed investigations with the available archival data sufficient for scholarly study, and c) critically analysing previously published sources. In addition, we conducted a series of comparative studies using mixed method analysis, involving field results, historical study, and cross-border, cross-disciplinary and multinational approaches. Given the variety of unexpected developments that occurred during the course of the project, the team provided urgent responses according to our ability, addressing:
a) market policy changes in Ukraine,
b) early Russian propaganda,
c) COVID-19 responses at our research sites,
d) food security issues,
e) war in Ukraine by celebrating biocultural diversity,
f) conservation-related suppression of LEK.
The project results have been widely disseminated through various channels among:
a) the scientific community (published articles, participation at academic conferences)
b) the general public (popular publications, interviews in various media, participation at the Venice Biennale) and children (Ca’ Foscari Kids)
c) related industries, civil societies and professionals.
Two volumes of the Ark of Taste, for Estonia and Ukraine, have been published and have received a warm welcome from the target audience.
The main achievement of the DiGe was clearly demonstrating the devastating effects of Russian occupation on the LEK of the studied traditional societies/minority ethnic groups. We detected the erosion, homogenization and standardization of (especially institutionalized) knowledge within state borders and cross-border differences in knowledge transmission. Common patterns among groups belonging to a certain cultural/political system, beyond ethnic background, were found. The traces of centralization within the Soviet Union were evident not only within the medicinal system, which was expected, but also for wild food plant use, which is usually a much more stable system. The continuous erosion and homogenization of wild food, medicinal and ethnoveterinary plant use, especially affected by the centralization of knowledge and practice, was detected at all research sites because of several factors affecting environmental and social changes. However, less erosion during the lifetime of our interviewees was detected in Russian Karelia and Russian Setomaa due to the continuous need to use medicinal plants because of the poverty and unstable medical care in Romanian Bukovina, where plant use remained quite traditional owing to the extreme isolation of the region.
We recorded clear differences in patterns between ex-Soviet and non-Soviet territories, with the exception of Poland, a former Soviet satellite state, where our research site showed, along with bordering Belarusian and Lithuanian areas, rather homogenous erosion in its use of wild food plants. We can perceive the graduality of changes between several blocks of countries, such as those that remained in the post-Soviet nightmare (e.g. Russia and Belarus) and those that eventually joined the EU (Estonia and Lithuania), with Ukraine being in-between. Of all the countries studied, the most distinctive was Finnish Karelia with two clearly distinct developments in local food and medicinal systems. The limited current use of folk medicine is due to excellent medicinal care and the unsupportive attitude of official medicine regarding the use of plants, which was drastically different form cross-border Russian Karelia, where folk medicine was strong and showed clear traces of centralization. Of all research sites, Finnish Karelia, as the only region not belonging to the socialist block, stood out in the confidence with which people spoke about their LEK and practices. Although the region was devastated by the Winter War, people have had the opportunity to reflect and recover, which has shaped their attitudes and, above all, self-confidence in LEK-related decisions.
We have documented the importance of books and other media (now especially the Internet) in LEK transmission in all research sites, except in Romanian Bukovina, where vertical transmission remains the most important. We could also discern patterns of promotion in various media (including books) in our field results. In addition, we detected the influence of religion, as well as local authorities and/or influencers, on LEK.
We recorded clear differences in patterns between ex-Soviet and non-Soviet territories, with the exception of Poland, a former Soviet satellite state, where our research site showed, along with bordering Belarusian and Lithuanian areas, rather homogenous erosion in its use of wild food plants. We can perceive the graduality of changes between several blocks of countries, such as those that remained in the post-Soviet nightmare (e.g. Russia and Belarus) and those that eventually joined the EU (Estonia and Lithuania), with Ukraine being in-between. Of all the countries studied, the most distinctive was Finnish Karelia with two clearly distinct developments in local food and medicinal systems. The limited current use of folk medicine is due to excellent medicinal care and the unsupportive attitude of official medicine regarding the use of plants, which was drastically different form cross-border Russian Karelia, where folk medicine was strong and showed clear traces of centralization. Of all research sites, Finnish Karelia, as the only region not belonging to the socialist block, stood out in the confidence with which people spoke about their LEK and practices. Although the region was devastated by the Winter War, people have had the opportunity to reflect and recover, which has shaped their attitudes and, above all, self-confidence in LEK-related decisions.
We have documented the importance of books and other media (now especially the Internet) in LEK transmission in all research sites, except in Romanian Bukovina, where vertical transmission remains the most important. We could also discern patterns of promotion in various media (including books) in our field results. In addition, we detected the influence of religion, as well as local authorities and/or influencers, on LEK.