Concept Note

Understanding the relationship between humans and environment has been the preoccupation ofmany generations of scientists and philosophers since the 5th Century B.C. It would not be an exaggeration to mention that it has been the central concern of the discourse on the history of human civilization since then. This discourse has taken a centre stage with the propensity of anthropogenic global environmental change since the middle of the 20th Century. Although one of the early theories of ecological anthropology, Environmental Determinism, directly addressed to the question of climate-culture relationship and has been resurrected time and again, because of its naivety, anthropological discourse in the 20th Century was more in the form of environment derivatives, such as economy, ecology, disaster, and so on.

To bring back the relationship between human civilization and the environment to the centre stage, the 2014 report of the Task Force on Global Climate Change, commissioned by the American Anthropological Association (AAA) under the Chairmanship of Dr. Shirley J. Fiske, has reinvigorated anthropological interest in global climate change. Dr. Fiske aptly remarks, “Anthropologists focus on several aspects of climate change research that other scientists do not fully address, specifically the disproportionately adverse impacts on vulnerable populations, the extent to which our current challenges stem from culture and cultural choices on a societal level, and the value of long record of human development and civilization that can inform our choices for the future.” In the 2015 press release of the report, AAA has highlighted an 8-point summary to drive home the point that global climate change is not a myth anymore, but a stark reality, and its uneven impact affects millions of people all over the world. It is but natural that developing countries pay a heavy price for the global climate change, although most of the solutions come from the local knowledge of people in these countries that the world community needs to realize. The report also underlines the role of social sciences and humanities in addressing this global problem.

With this background, the Department of Anthropology, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India, proposes a two-day International Seminar on February 15 and 16, 2016 at Hyderabad, India, on the role of anthropology in understanding global climate change as well as in policy making. Papers are invited that may be theoretical, methodological or the best practices adopted by the local communities to combat the impact of global climate change. A suggestive list of themes is presented below:

1.Global Climate Change, Subsistence Patterns, Livelihoods, and Adaptive Strategies.
2.Perception of Global Climate Change in the lens of Local Knowledge.
3.Rising Consumerism and Global Climate Change.
4.Global Climate Change and its Unequal and Unjust Impact on Indigenous Peoples.
5.Political Economy of Global Climate Change.
6.Global Climate Change inthe Oral Traditions of the Tribes and Indigenous Populations.
7.Impact of Global Climate Change on Migration, Gender and Health.
8.Global Climate Change and Community destabilization.
9.Local Knowledge as an Adaptive Solution to Global Climate Change.


Schedule

Submission of Abstract: 30 November 2015.
Acceptance of the Abstract: 05 December 2015.
Submission of Full Paper: 15 January 2016.
Dates of the Seminar: 15-16 February 2016.

Funding and Travel

Due to paucity of funds, it may not be possible for the organizers to support travel grants, although efforts are being made. However, modest local hospitality will be provided to all the participants during the Seminar. Overseas participants are advised to consult the Indian High Commission in their respective countries for visa requirements.

Contact

1.Prof. Kamal K. Misra (Conference Coordinator)
E: kkmssin@gmail.com
Tel: +91.83.32.991325

2.Shaik Abdul Munaf (Joint Coordinator)
E. obilisam@gmail.com
Tel: +91. 98.48.806153

Venue

Department of Anthropology,
University of Hyderabad,
Hyderabad, India,
Web: www.uohyd.ac.in