174 research outputs found
Cocks, Michelle Linda (Assoc Prof)
No full textInstitute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) (2002-2013) Michelle Cocks Department of Anthropology (2014-present) Michelle Cocks ORCID 0000-0001-5587-3720 South African National Women in Science Award 2009 Initiated the schools’ education program called Inkcubeko Nendalo (Culture and Nature) 2011 </a
Born-frees and worn trees: home grown medicinal plants and poverty
No full textDespite the widespread use of modern medicines, the parallel role of traditional medicine remains popular in both rural and urban areas and among both wealthy and poor African communities in South Africa. A substantial body of literature exists which documents some of the salient characteristics of the trade and use of traditional medicines (Ngubane 1977; Cocks and Wiersum 2002; Cocks and Møller 2002; Cocks and Dold 2006). Mander (1998) estimated that 27 million people used indigenous medicine in South Africa in a decade. The use and trade of plants for medicine is no longer confined to traditional healers but has entered both the informal and formal sectors of the South African economy (Dauskardt 1990, 1991; Cocks and Dold 2000), resulting in an increase in the number of herbal gatherers and traders (Dold and Cocks 2002). The largely informal trade in traditional medicines forms part of multi-million rand ‘hidden economy’ in southern Africa, and it is now bigger than at any time in the past. It is certainly one of the most complex resource management issues facing conservation agencies, healthcare professionals and resource users in South Africa today (Cunningham 1997). Research points towards a trend of increasing harvesting pressures on traditional supply areas linked to a growing shortage in supply of popular medicinal plant species (Williams et al. 1997, 2000; Mander 1998; Dold and Cocks 2002)
Unearthing the essence of nature and the perception of the natural landscape among the amaXhosa in the Eastern Cape : an exploratory study
No full textThe recognition of the close link between the lifestyles of 'indigenous' and 'local' people
and biodiversity is widely acknowledged as crucial, not only for the survival of biological
diversity but also for the protection of cultural diversity. Most discussions centre on the
argument that cultural diversity can, through a wide variety of uses and practices, sustain and
conserve biodiversity, particularly in many developing countries.
However, local people's relationship with natural landscapes and the extent to which they
value biodiversity has not been fully explored and is in most cases misunderstood, which in
fact undermines the bio-cultural diversity link. This misunderstanding exists primarily
because the majority of environmental or ecological research conducted so far has been
oriented towards economic valuation, in quantifying the estimated value of plants and fauna
utilised by local people. As a result, biodiversity is primarily treated as a commodity, with
wild harvested plant products being classified as either having subsistence, or commercial
and medicinal value. This approach is narrow and conceals the critical, profound noneconomic
values of biodiversity among local communities in everyday life.
Literature indicates that biodiversity and natural landscapes also include less tangible values
such as spiritual, cultural, psychological and social values (e.g., sense of place, place
attachment, and psychologically restorative effects) which are crucial to human well-being.
This suggests that human-nature interaction is complex, and that the meanings and values that
people ascribe to natural landscapes cannot be solely reduced to economic values.
Nevertheless, to date, studies investigating these less tangible values have received little
attention in South Africa. As a result, we have very little understanding of what local and
indigenous communities value or appreciate with regard to natural landscapes, beyond their
general economic significance.
This study seeks to address this particular limitation by exploring non-economic values of
natural landscapes and their significances to local people while illuminating the complexities
inherent in human-nature interactions. I argue that the purely economic valuation of natural
resources is simplistic and biased, and therefore does not represent the complete meaning and
significance that natural resources may hold for local communities and households.
Therefore, this study takes an innovative psychological approach to explore in detail the everyday lived experiences of the amaXhosa in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It seeks to
investigate the cultural, spiritual, and psychological values that ordinary people attach to
natural landscapes in the peri-urban and urban communities of Ndlambe Village l and
Grahamstown respectively. This research also aims to study the general perceptions of and
meanings ascribed to the natural landscape (referred to by the amaXhosa as ihlathi
lesiXhosa). In addition, it carefully integrates the Phenomenological and Transactional
approaches to investigate how the amaXhosa engage, interact, and find meaning within the
natural landscape. Furthermore, the study explores the impact of such landscape experiences
on local people's spiritual and psychological well-being, demonstrating it link to bio-cultural
diversity and conservation. The major findings in this study reflect that ihlathi lesiXhosa
provides a place for peace and tranquillity to enhance psychological restoration. Moreover,
ihlathi contributes towards redefining and strengthening personal and cultural identity; and
provides spiritual satisfaction in everyday life. Overall, the findings of this study indicate that
i!liathi lesiXhosa plays a profound role in both the personal and social lives of many
amaXhosa in the Eastern Cape in that it appears to improve their lives.
Therefore, the evidence in this study suggests that, among the amaXhosa, biodiversity and
natural landscape management processes should not aim to address and promote
ecologicallbiological and economic values in a compartmentalized manner independent of
other social, cultural, psychological, and more specifically the spiritual values of these
features. An increased understanding of these more intangible values and local people's value
system of biodiversity could help towards implementing improved biodiversity conservation
and landscape management strategies in South Africa. These insights would not only help us
to address the challenges of the previous conservation framework but would also encourage a
more inclusive, mutual benefiting process that respects local people's values and needs
Stories from the forest, river and mountain : exploring children's environmental cultural narratives and their role in the transmission of cultural connection to and protection of biodiversity
No full textPreservationist conservation created a legacy of national parks and protected areas that were
surrounded by local people dispossessed of their land and denied the rights to use the resources
they had previously relied upon. Although conservation is now shifting towards a more
participatory approach, research gaps still exist in determining the meaning of 'the environment'
and the role of local means of conservation in rural communities in South Africa. This study
focused on children's cultural environmental narratives from two rural villages in the Eastern
Cape, South Africa. Children from grades 4, 7 and 10 were involved in the study, and adult family
members, local experts and village elders were included in the study to allow for comparison
between children's and adult's narratives and to realise what Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK)
was being passed on. This thesis considers children's use of the environment for play and their
sense of place as key methods in ascertaining children's environmental narratives and
perceptions. At both field sites, local experts and community elders possessed a wealth of
cultural environmental narratives, but these narratives were not necessarily being passed on.
Changing household structures and other socio-economic factors influence cultural
environmental practices, which in turn have an impact on the cultural environmental narratives
being passed down. In many cases, parents' safety fears strongly impacted upon children's access
to the environment, resulting in gendered environmental knowledge. The study compared
differing vegetation types and degrees of environmental access. The differing environments
produced similar cultural environmental narratives, leading to new understandings in community environment
relationships. Children living near the state administered forest had significantly less
environmental knowledge, bringing about questions of sustainable bio-cultural diversity in the
future. The recognition of cultural environmental values is especially important in the rural areas
of South Africa, where unemployment and increased poverty levels have led to greater
dependence on natural resources for social, economic and cultural purposes. It is proposed that
local cultural environmental narratives and landscape perceptions be included into community
conservation and environmental education policies and programmes to provide local solutions to
the problem of biodiversity conservation in local contexts
Les Bayadères : valses pour piano en deux suite
No full textOn Stone by R.P.C.Bildbeschriftung: "LES BAYADÈRES VALSES POUR PIANO EN DEUX SUITE.", "DÉDIÉES AUX ÈLÉVES DE MISS HIND. PAR GATIEN MARCAILHOU. SUITE.", "also by the same Author 'Indiana Valse' 2/ Lucrezia Valse, Bouton de Rose, and La Bayaderes Valse Each 3/", "PREMIÉRE SUITE. DEUXIÉME SUITE. Noemi La Joyseuse Pied de Biche Le Papillon bleu Fleur du matin Le Colibri", "Entd. Sta. Hall", "Price 3/-".Herstellungsangaben: "On Stone by R.P.C.“, "LONDON, Published only by R, COCKS & Co 6, New Burlington Street, MUSIC SELLERS TO HER MAJESTY, And in Paris au Bureau Central de Musique
Social learning processes of HIV/AIDS women caregivers on their use of traditional foods and medicinal plants : the case of Raphael Centre and Keiskamma Art and Health Centre communities of practice, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
No full textThe scale of people being infected by HIV/AIDS (Human Immunodeficiency Virus /Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) has meant that the family and the community have had to become involved in caring for the sick (Van Dyk, 2005). This has inevitably led to the emergence of informal caregivers in the form of family members caring for their relatives (Kipp, Nkosi, Laing & Jhangri, 2006). The research investigated the social learning of women caregivers looking after people living with HIV/AIDS, with emphasis on caregiving practices related to how they use traditional foods and medicinal plants. The research was undertaken in Grahamstown at the Raphael Centre and in Hamburg at Keiskkamma Health Centre and Art Project, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Data was collected using interviews, focus group discussions and diaries written by participants. The data was analyzed in two phases: the first phase involved reading the interview transcripts and collating the responses into analytical memos that were captured into broad categories, while the second phase made use of the community of practice analytical framework to further analyze the data to get better understanding of the social learning processes. This study reveals that participating in a community of practice like Raphael Centre and Keiskamma Health Centre enables caregivers to learn about caregiving. It also reveals that within these communities of practice there are varied learning processes that take place, such as observational and collaborative learning. The research also revealed that caregivers learn from the communities from which they come, for example caregivers learn about traditional food and medicinal plants which they use from their family members, friends, other caregivers as well as non governmental organizations. The research found that caregivers are influenced in their learning and practices by a number of factors which include their own experiences, ambivalent messages from different stakeholders concerned with fighting HIV/AIDS and exposure to new information. The research recommends that diverse learning processes in a community of practice and outside a community of practice should be encouraged and strengthened. It also recommends that HIV/AIDS caregiving options should be strengthened by drawing on experience and knowledge of caregivers. Caregivers should be encouraged to be selfsustaining to improve their caregiving practices. Stakeholders in the field of HIV/AIDS should be alert to and address ambivalence on use of medicinal plants. Existing programmes that enable women to learn about new information on HIV/AIDS should be strengthened
Biocultural diversity: moving beyond the realm of 'indigenous' and 'local' people
No full textDuring the past decade the relationship between biodiversity and human diversity has received increased attention, resulting in the identification of what the Declaration of Belém calls an `inextricable link¿ between biological and cultural diversity. Although the term biocultural diversity, introduced to denote this link, is being used increasingly, there has been little critical reflection on what it precisely refers to. I argue that it is used with particular reference to `indigenous traditional¿ people, but that there is scope for extending its application within biocultural discourse. I therefore review the concept of culture and discuss what constitutes cultural values of the natural environment. I conclude that the concept of culture must be understood as involving a dynamic process of transcultural exchange and constant re-articulations of tradition resulting in the persistence of certain cultural practices. This approach ultimately reveals that the concept of biocultural diversity is also applicable to non-indigenous traditional communitie
What is biocultural diversity?: a theoretical review
No full textOver the past decade, scholars from various fields have increasingly emphasized the detrimental effects of global socioeconomic processes on biodiversity. The industrial revolution, the demographic explosion of Homo sapiens, and the rise of the global exchange economy are all implicated as major factors that influence the loss of species diversity. From the late 1980s onward, biosystematics and conservation biology have successfully brought this concern to the attention of the public. Biodiversity is increasingly recognized as an essential resource on which families, communities, and nations depend. Biologists, ecologists, and conservationists have further recognized that solutions to biological problems lie in the mechanisms of social, cultural, and economic systems, which has led to attempts to place a monetary value on species and ecosystems to calculate the cost of using and conserving biodiversity
Kai chon
No full textThe article features Thai people's favorite game of fighting cocks. The author describes the history of game fowl in Thailand and illustrates the characteristics of good fighting cocks
Cocks on Dunghills-Wollstonecraft and gouges on the women's revolution
No full textWhile many historians and philosophers have sought to understand the 'failure' of the French Revolution to thrive and to avoid senseless violence, very few have referred to the works of two women philosophers who diagnosed the problems as they were happening. This essay looks at how Mary Wollstonecraft and Olympe de Gouges theorised the new tyranny that grew out of the French Revolution, that of 'petty tyrants' who found themselves like 'cocks on a dunghill' able to wield a new power over those less fortunate than themselves. Both offer diagnoses and prognoses that revolve around education. Wollstonecraft argues that a revolution that is not backed by a previous education of the people is bound to result in chaos and violence. Such education, however, must be slow, and it necessitates the reform of the institutions that most shape the public's character. A revolution, perforce, is fast, and it often takes several years, or even generations before the spirit of the reforms finds itself implemented into new institutions. Olympe de Gouges shares Wollstonecraft's worry and she observes that the men who were once dominated quickly become tyrants themselves unless their moral character is already virtuous. But the state of being dominated leaves little room for virtue; hence, newly minted citizens need to be educated in order not to replicate the reign of tyranny onto other. Gouges suggests that the answer to the difficulty she and Wollstonecraft highlighted was to educate the people where they could be found: on the streets, or, where they could easily and willingly be gathered: in theatres. By helping organise revolutionary festivals, highlighting the ways in which citizens could be virtuous, and writing plays to awaken their virtue, and proposing a reform of the theatre, so that the production of such plays would be possible, Gouges offered a plan for the civic education of French citizens in the immediate aftermaths of the Revolution. Unfortunately, the chaos she and Wollstonecraft had sought to remedy, led by the cocks or petty tyrants, ensured that they were unable to see through their plans, with Wollstonecraft having to leave Paris and Gouges being sent to the guillotine. © 2022 the author(s), published by De Gruyter, Berlin/Boston
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