Over
the last fifteen years, my research interests have concerned the
common boundaries of Ethnobiology/Ethnobotany
and
Anthropology
of Food/Medical Anthropology,
i.e. the interdisciplinary studies on the perceptions and uses of
plants in local diets and in Traditional Medicines, and their impact
on the environment, the human and animal health, and the society at
large.
In
particular, my studies concern:
• Food
ethnobotany: Traditional Knowledge (TK) on uses and
management/ecology of food plants (esp. wild and neglected taxa)
• Traditional
Medicines (TMs): use of medicinal plants, “food-medicines”,
and other biological and ritual remedies, provision of health care
within the households via diets and emic healing strategies
• Ethnoveterinary:
TK on plants used as fodder, for healing animals, or for improving
the quality of dairy and other animal-derived food products
The
focuses of my research have been ethnic minority groups and cultural
boundaries in rural and “marginal” areas in the
Mediterranean and the Western Balkan regions, and migrant
communities/newcomers (Eastern Europeans, South-Asians, Turks,
Andeans) in Central Europe.
The
core scientific questions I and my research group are trying to
address are:
• How
local plants are perceived, categorized, used and managed within a
given community (ethnobotanical and ethnoecological knowledge)
• How
peoples perceive their "well-being" (and the well being of
their animals as well) and adopt health-seeking strategies via
traditional healing and/or dietary practices (ethnomedical knowledge)
• How
this knowledge changes within a given community and among different
communities (variability and cross-cultural comparison)
• How
these knowledge systems change over time in response to environmental
and/or socio-cultural/political dynamics
The
most relevant potential outputs of our studies are relevant to:
• Sustainable
use of bio-diversity and agro-bio-diversity (i.e. small-scale
harvesting and/or trade of local food products and medicinal herbs;
eco-tourism)
• Public
health/nutrition policies devoted to migrants' groups
• Food
and ethnopharmacological research, modern clinical phytotherapy, and
medical herbal practice
• Safeguard
of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage related to
knowledge, practices, and beliefs related to the nature (i.e.
eco-museums, ethnobotanical gardens)
Through
these web pages, we would like to build bridges that may connect our
work to other individuals and groups (scholars, students, NGOs, local
communities, and other stakeholders) and to other networks of
practices and experiences in ethnobiology.
Feedbacks
are much more than welcome!