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Ethnobiology Research Methods Course in Kars, Turkey

Photo: Ç. ŞekercioğluPhoto: Ç. ŞekercioğluEthnobiological Research Methods Course - Kars, Turkey
13 – 21 September 2010

A Global Diversity Fund/ Biocultural Diversity Learning Network course
for researchers and students from Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
sponsored by The Christensen Fund

Course overview
This course will cover contemporary issues and current methods in ethnobiology and ethnoecology and will introduce new approaches for studying these emerging fields. The training will be conducted by Dr. Füsun Ertuğ, Dr. Gary Martin (Global Diversity Fund and University of Kent at Canterbury) and Dr. Çagan Şekercioğlu (KuzeyDoga Society and Stanford University).

The course will weave together various approaches to understanding how local ecological knowledge and practice are evolving over time. Particular focus will be given to addressing global trends that are having a local impact, such as market integration, migration and urbanisation. We will explore how to interact with local communities that are in rapid transition, helping them to draw upon their cultural and biological diversity to adapt to a changing world.

The content and organisation of this course will take into account the participants’ specific interests in subjects such as agrobiodiversity, ecotourism and traditional ecological knowledge. For this reason, the course schedule is flexible and will be tailored to the specific interests and learning pace of the whole group.

The course will take place 14 – 20 September 2010, and participants must arrive in Kars on 13 September. Transportation to Kars, room, board, and other local course expenses will be covered by the course organizers. There are a limited number of spaces available and participants will be chosen through a competitive application process.

We are particularly keen to attract participants who are engaged in current applied research on community use and management of plant resources, cultural landscapes or other projects related to ethnoecology in Turkey, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The course will be conducted in English, without translation, so English fluency is essential. After a written evaluation, candidates will be interviewed in English by Dr. Gary Martin. Successful applicants should have an undergraduate degree in a field related to ethnobotany/ethnobiology/ethnoecology, or be in their final year of study. Postgraduate students are especially encouraged to apply.

Interested applicants should send a C.V., name and contact information of three references (include email and telephone), and a cover letter explaining how they will benefit from this course in a single email to:

Dr. Füsun Ertuğ (etnofertug@gmail.com), Dr. Gary Martin (gary@globaldiversity.org.uk), and Dr. Çagan Şekercioğlu (cagan@stanford.edu)

The application deadline is 15 August 2010 and successful applicants will be notified by 1 September 2010.

Traditional Phytotherapy and Trans-cultural Pharmacy among Turkish Migrants Living in Cologne, Germany

Publication Type  Journal Article
Authors  Andrea Pieroni; Harald Muenz; Minire Akbulut; Kemal Husnu Can Baser; Cenk Durmuskahya
Journal Title  Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Year of Publication  2005
Volume  102
Pages  69 - 88
Key Words  decontextualization; ethnobotany; ethnopharmacy; indigenization; medicinal foods; medicinal plants; migrants; Turkey; Germany
Notes  

Pieroni et al. investigated the use of traditional Turkish folk medicine and changes in materia medica amongst first generation Turkish migrants living in the urban environment of Cologne, Germany.

Field research conducted over a 24-week period in 2003 and 2004 consisted of interviewing and holding focus groups of randomly selected Turkish participants about their use of traditional remedies. The authors obtained prior informed consent from survey participants and followed ethical guidelines established by the American Anthropological Association and the International Society of Ethnobiology. They collected voucher specimens of relevant dried and fresh plant material and identified them with the assistance of Turkish botanists. The researchers then compared field data with literature on traditional Turkish phytotherapy and evidence-based clinical German phytotherapy.

Apart from presenting a table outlining the data on 79 botanical taxa, 115 plant-based preparations and 167 phytotherapeutical uses and selected animal and mineral remedies named in the interviews, the article provides additional detail about three interesting plant remedies: aerial parts of Sideritis species, Pistacia terebinthus fruits and Peganum harmala fruits and seeds.

Analysis of the results revealed that (1) a quarter of the treatments consisted of 'medicinal food'; (2) women were more knowledgeable than men about plant uses, and (3) most of the material for the traditional medicine was imported to Germany through 'unofficial' means or bought in Turkish shops in Cologne. Local cultivation and wild harvest of the plants in Germany were very minimal, but most survey participants gathered wild herbs or bought them in markets in Turkey. This challenges assumptions about how migrants source material for food and medicine. Only one third of the phytotherapeutical uses reported had been previously recorded in ethnobotanical research conducted in Turkey, and only 9% of the medicinal uses reported in this study had been acknowledged by the modern school of German phytotherapy. Although the researchers comment on the importance of understanding the cultural significance of plants, they limit their analysis to the frequency of mention of a remedy.

The assimilation process of the migrants in their host country is discussed along with the indigenization and de-contexualization of German phytotherapy as it is incorporated in novel ways into the Turkish migrants' materia medica. This research points to the need for more investigation into the effects of simultaneous use of traditional and conventional medicines among migrants, and to the mutual transmission of ethnopharmaceutical knowledge between migrants and host country populations.

Prepared by Megan Glore, edited by Gary Martin
URL  http://www.andreapieroni.eu/Pieroni%20et%20al.,%202005b.pdf

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