Environmental Anthropology Cheat Sheet

The core ideas of Environmental Anthropology distilled into a single, scannable reference — perfect for review or quick lookup.

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Quick Reference

Cultural Ecology

An approach developed by Julian Steward that examines how environmental conditions influence cultural adaptations and social organization. It focuses on the 'culture core' -- the constellation of features most closely related to subsistence activities and economic arrangements.

Political Ecology

A framework that analyzes environmental issues through the lens of political economy, examining how power relations, economic structures, and institutional forces shape access to and control over natural resources, and how environmental change differentially affects social groups.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)

The cumulative body of knowledge, practices, and beliefs about the relationships between living beings and their environment, developed by Indigenous and local peoples through generations of direct interaction with ecosystems and transmitted culturally.

Ethnoecology

The cross-cultural study of how different peoples perceive, classify, and interact with their natural environments. It includes sub-disciplines such as ethnobotany, ethnozoology, and ethnosoil science, documenting local systems of ecological knowledge and nomenclature.

Multispecies Ethnography

An emerging approach that extends ethnographic attention beyond humans to examine the entangled lives of humans and nonhuman organisms -- animals, plants, fungi, and microbes -- challenging the anthropocentric boundaries of traditional social science.

Environmental Justice

A concept and social movement addressing the disproportionate burden of environmental hazards -- pollution, toxic waste, resource extraction -- borne by marginalized communities defined by race, ethnicity, class, or geography.

Commons and Common-Pool Resources

Natural resources -- such as fisheries, forests, pastures, and water systems -- that are shared by a community and are subject to depletion. Anthropologists study how communities develop institutions and norms to manage commons sustainably, often challenging the 'tragedy of the commons' narrative.

Ecological Imperialism

A concept introduced by Alfred Crosby describing how European colonialism transformed environments worldwide through the deliberate and accidental introduction of Old World species -- crops, livestock, pathogens, and weeds -- that displaced Indigenous ecologies and peoples.

Resilience and Adaptation

The capacity of social-ecological systems to absorb disturbance, reorganize, and maintain essential functions. Environmental anthropologists study how communities build resilience through flexible institutions, diversified livelihoods, and cultural practices that buffer against environmental shocks.

The Anthropocene

A proposed geological epoch defined by the dominant influence of human activities on Earth's climate and ecosystems. Environmental anthropologists critically examine the concept, asking which humans bear responsibility and how the narrative of a universal 'human' impact obscures inequalities in who drives and who suffers from environmental change.

Key Terms at a Glance

Adaptation:The process by which human communities adjust their practices, institutions, and technologies in response to environmental conditions and changes.

Agroecology:An ecological approach to agriculture that integrates traditional knowledge and biodiversity to create sustainable food production systems.

Anthropocene:A proposed geological epoch defined by the dominant influence of human activities on Earth's climate and ecosystems.

Biocultural Diversity:The interrelationship between biological diversity and cultural and linguistic diversity in a given region.

Climate Justice:A framework addressing the disproportionate impacts of climate change on communities least responsible for greenhouse gas emissions.

Common-Pool Resources:Natural resources shared by a group that are rivalrous and difficult to exclude others from using, such as fisheries and forests.

Cultural Ecology:An approach examining how environmental factors influence cultural adaptations and social organization.

Cultural Materialism:Marvin Harris's theoretical framework arguing that material conditions are the primary drivers of cultural systems.

Ecological Anthropology:A precursor to environmental anthropology focused on how human populations function within ecosystems as biological organisms.

Ecological Imperialism:The environmental transformation of colonized regions through the introduction of Old World species by European colonizers.

Ecosystem Services:The benefits humans derive from ecosystems, including provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services.

Environmental Determinism:The discredited theory that the physical environment directly determines cultural traits and social development.

Environmental Justice:A movement and framework addressing the disproportionate environmental burdens borne by marginalized communities.

Ethnobotany:The study of the relationships between peoples and plants, including how cultures use, manage, and classify plant species.

Ethnoecology:The cross-cultural study of how different peoples perceive, classify, and interact with their natural environments.

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