Does Cognition Still Matter in Ethnobiology?

Abstract

Ethnobiology has become increasingly concerned with applied and normave quesons about biocultural diversity and the livelihoods of local communies. While this development has created new opportunies for connecng ethnobiological research with ecological and social sciences, it also raises quesons about the role of cognive perspecves in current ethnobiology. In fact, there are clear signs of instuonal separaon as research on folkbiological cognion has increasingly found its home in the cognive science community, weakening its es to instuonalized ethnobiology. Rather than accepng this separaon as inevitable disciplinary specializaon, this short perspecve arcle argues for a systemic perspecve that addresses mutual influences and causal entanglement of cognive and non‐cognive factors in socio-ecological dynamics. Such an integrave perspecve requires a new conversaon about cognion in ethnobiology beyond tradional polarizaon around issues of cognive universals and cultural relavity.