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An Interdisciplinary Perspective on the Loss of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in the Tehuantepec Isthmus, Oaxaca

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Ethnobotany of Mexico

Part of the book series: Ethnobiology ((EBL))

Abstract

Research on traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) in Mexico is linked to geographical regions with the highest levels of biocultural diversity—for instance, Chiapas, Oaxaca, and Yucatán. Long-term historical and ethnographic research in Oaxaca suggests extensive interethnic conflict during precolonial times and subsequent Western interventions in colonial and postcolonial contexts, which might have contributed to knowledge loss in specific linguistic domains that have been the focus of classical ethnobiological studies—e.g., plant names. Here, we review some of the principal findings of a quantitative ethnobotany project carried out during the past decade on the loss of botanical knowledge in Zapotec communities located in the Tehuantepec Isthmus, and connect its conclusions to previous ethnobotanical and sociolinguistic research in the area. We discuss the scope of future investigations oriented to establish a link between historically informed cognitive anthropology/ethnobiology, comparative linguistics and TEK research in Oaxaca, and comment on some ethico-political dimensions of ethnobiology in the Tehuantepec Isthmus.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Etnobotánica, Colegio de Postgraduados en Ciencias Agrícolas, Texcoco, Estado de Mexico, Mexico

    Alfredo Saynes-Vásquez

  2. Jardín Botánico-Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico, Distrito Federal, Mexico

    Alfredo Saynes-Vásquez, Francisco Vergara-Silva & Javier Caballero Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Alfredo Saynes-Vásquez
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  2. Francisco Vergara-Silva
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  3. Javier Caballero Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alfredo Saynes-Vásquez .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Unidad de Biotecnología y Prototipos(UBI, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Estado de Mexico, Mexico

    Rafael Lira

  2. Instituto de Ivestigaciones en Ecosistem, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico

    Alejandro Casas

  3. Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morel, Colonia Chamilpa, Cuernavaca,, Morelos, Mexico

    José Blancas

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Saynes-Vásquez, A., Vergara-Silva, F., Caballero, J. (2016). An Interdisciplinary Perspective on the Loss of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in the Tehuantepec Isthmus, Oaxaca. In: Lira, R., Casas, A., Blancas, J. (eds) Ethnobotany of Mexico. Ethnobiology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6669-7_19

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