Abstract
This chapter sets out to provide a framework for this collection on environmental transformations and cultural responses in Oceania. In line with theoretical approaches that challenge the distinction between “environment/nature” and “human/culture”, we advocate for an anthropology that is sensitive to ontological dimensions in order to advance our understanding of the entanglement and mutual construction of categories that are often perceived as separate. We propose a broad conceptualisation of “environment(s)” to encourage specification of what is understood as “environment” in accord with respective contexts and situations. We further point to translation and reception processes involved in transforming social worlds. This book is based on original work from German scholars and links into the long-standing German tradition of anthropological research in Oceania.
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Pascht, A., Dürr, E. (2017). Engaging with Environmental Transformation in Oceania. In: Dürr, E., Pascht, A. (eds) Environmental Transformations and Cultural Responses. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53349-4_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53349-4_1
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