Bennett, John W.

Human Ecology as Human Behavior : Essays in Enviromental and Development anthropology / John W. Bennett. - New Brunswick ; London : Transaction Publishers, 2007. - 378 p. ; il. ; 23 cm.

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Human interaction with the natural environment has a dual character. By turning increasing quantities of natural substances into physical resources, human beings might be said to have freed themselves from the constraints of low-technology survival pressures. However, the process has generated a new dependence on nature in the form of complex ´´socionatural systems, ´´ as Bennett calls them, in which human society and behavior are so interlocked with the management of the environment that small changes in the systems can lead to disaster. Bennett´s essays cover a wide ranger: from the philosophy of environmentalism to the ecology of economic development; from the human impact on semi-arid lands to the ecology of Japanese forest management. This expanded paperback edition includes a new chapter on the role of anthropology in economic development.
Bennett´s essays exhibit an underlying pessimism: if human behavior toward the physical environment is the distinctive cause of environmental abuse, then reform of current management practices offers only temporary relief; that is, conservationism, like democracy, must be continually reaffirmed. Clearly presented and free of jargon, Human Ecology as Human Behavior will be of Interest to anthropologists, economists, and environmentalists.
´´Human behavior and its interactions with the natural environment is at the center of debates over environmental issues. John Bennett´s collection of essays, dating back some thirty years, is a worthy and thorough examination of this topic from an anthropological perspective and makes a strong case for this perspective to be a more influential force in future analytical environmental research. ´´ -Tommy Knowland, Environmental politics.



Ingles

1560008490 Normal

Applied anthropology Antropología aplicada Human ecology Ecologia humana

304.2