气候变化与文化多样性

Climate change and cultural diversity

文化在变,气候在变。这些变化同本地知识与实践互相影响、互相作用。以往的研究注重技术问题,如小农和牲畜饲养者如何理解季节性天气预报、兽医问题和市场状况,而当前的研究则倾向于用一种更为整体的思路来看待本地知识。农村居民利用外部的技术理念和工具,乃至复杂的理念和工具,这些理念和工具是对其原有关于变化的观念和经验的补充。但是,在生成这种杂交型本地知识的过程中,有一些障碍必须克服。障碍之一是城市精英支配农村研究注重技术问题,包括城市精英自认的那种城市文化高贵、农村文化低俗的优越感。障碍之二是频频搬用科学,为强迫农村居民顺从政府意图找到合理依据。驱赶和搬迁的经历在很多农村人心里积淀了痛苦和猜疑。障碍之三是错用"一刀切"方法。其实,一个地方、一片地域并不存在单一、同质的知识。知识各式各样,有女性的知识、男性及长者的知识,有年轻人和儿童的知识,而这些知识因职业、民族的不同而又有分别。文化如此多样,故而标准化的参与性方法如果使用不当,研究结果往往缺乏说服力,并且可能造成居民的疏离。

Cultures and climate are changing. These changes interact with local knowledge and practice. Research has focused on technical questions, such as how small farmers and livestock keepers understand seasonal forecasts, veterinary problems or market conditions. However, there is a more holistic way of engaging local knowledge. Rural people utilise external technical ideas and tools, even complex ones, that complement their own concepts and experience of change. However, there are obstacles to overcome in generating such hybrid local knowledge. Firstly, there is a long history of domination of rural people by urban elites, including the assumed superiority of urban or high culture versus rural, vernacular or low culture. A second obstacle comes from the frequent use of science as justification to force rural people to do what governments want. Experience of exclusion and displacement has left a residue of bitterness and suspicion among many rural people. A third obstacle involves misuse of one-size-fits-all methods. No single, homogeneous knowledge exists in a locality. Rather there are women’s forms of knowledge and the knowledge of men and elders and the knowledge of young people and children, which are differentiated also by occupation and by ethnicity. In the face of such cultural diversity an incompetent use of standardised participatory methods yields poor results and may alienate residents.