Abstract
What ethnobotanists have thought about ethnobotany today? After more than 100 years of formal definition in this area of knowledge, it is possible to imagine that some things have changed in this way. Thus, in this chapter, we will seek to address some of the current thinking about the path that ethnobotany has taken or will still have to go on to consolidate its identity as a science. Of course, such thoughts do not necessarily correspond to a consensus among ethnobotanists but instead emerge from concerns presented by some research groups, particularly the authors of this book.
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Notes
- 1.
For more details on the current challenges of ethnobotany, we recommend reading the article of Albuquerque and Hanazaki (2009), entitled Five Problems in Current Ethnobotanical Research and Some Suggestions for Strengthening Them.
- 2.
The hypothetico-deductive method (HDM) is one of the most basic and common to many scientific disciplines. This reasoning involves a general theory and all possible factors that can affect a result, so the researchers make deductions from hypotheses that will predict what can happen in a given situation.
- 3.
In this regard, we suggest reading an article of Ramos et al. (2012), entitled Citation behavior in popular scientific papers: what is behind obscure citations? The case of ethnobotany.
- 4.
Access to Portal de Periódicos is free for users linked to institutions that meet the funding criteria for research and post-graduation defined by Capes. The website for access is: http://www.periodicos.capes.gov.br/.
- 5.
The principle of neutrality can be found in the argument that science and the form of knowledge production are not neutral, since only a privileged minority enjoys its results, which are used as a tool to maintain inequality. Thus, it is desirable that the researcher gets involved with the investigated with a participatory emphasis, producing knowledge by the interaction of traditional knowledge with scientific knowledge.
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Albuquerque, U.P., Ramos, M.A., Júnior, W.S.F., de Medeiros, P.M. (2017). Reflecting on Research in Ethnobotany. In: Ethnobotany for Beginners. SpringerBriefs in Plant Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52872-4_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52872-4_5
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