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  • Melusine Martin’s research focuses on environmental sociology, environmental philosophy and ecofeminism. She works as... moreedit
This article examines foraging in urban areas – more specifically in Australia and tropical North Queensland – as an alternative mode of consumption for city residents. I explore urban foraging (the practice of gathering Indigenous and... more
This article examines foraging in urban areas – more specifically in Australia and tropical North Queensland – as an alternative mode of consumption for city residents. I explore urban foraging (the practice of gathering Indigenous and introduced edible plants from streets, parks, railway reserves, etc.) within the context of a human/nature dualism which defines humans and nature as opposite. Urban foraging, which takes its roots in Indigenous Australian foraging traditions, is becoming more popular today as individuals seek connection with their food sources. Underlying this trend is a critique of industrial agriculture and the Western way of eating, as well as a need for a more sustainable system. The industrial system obscures the origins of the foods it produces by processing them so they appear as products of culture rather than nature. The urban foraging system, through gathering wild foods, is an attempt to reconnect with nature in the middle of the city. I argue that taking ...
The Great Barrier Reef's back-to-back bleaching events (2016/17) have seen a shift towards more interventions and restoration project to save the Reef. With traditional media still holding gatekeeper roles, the Twittersphere has... more
The Great Barrier Reef's back-to-back bleaching events (2016/17) have seen a shift towards more interventions and restoration project to save the Reef. With traditional media still holding gatekeeper roles, the Twittersphere has become an ideal space to debate the merits of Reef restoration research. From scientists to pollies and the public, opinion is divided over the best approach to restore the Reef's health. This paper is part of research for the Reef Restoration and Adaption (RRAP) project that is analysing social media to identify key theme in online public debates around social licence and restoration projects. Drawing on public Twitter and Facebook pages, we are measuring social perceptions of restoration and intervention projects. Analysis of Twitter posts over a 12-month period since the last bleaching event, identifies public sentiment and discourse around Reef Restoration projects. Drawing on public tweets from social media and environmental communication litera...
Déconnecter du monde digital pour se reconnecter à soi
La nature agit sur la physiologie humaine au point que les scientifiques parlent de nature thérapie
Plus de la moitié de la population mondiale vit en ville. Dans ce contexte, où il faut compter également avec la présence de plus en plus envahissante des technologies numériques, la relation de l'homme à la nature se transforme.
Nature, a remedy to urban life
Internet: The virtues of unplugging
The need for nature in the digital era, between science and philosophy
This article examines foraging in urban areas-more specifically in Australia and tropical North Queensland-as an alternative mode of consumption for city residents. I explore urban foraging (the practice of gathering Indigenous and... more
This article examines foraging in urban areas-more specifically in Australia and tropical North Queensland-as an alternative mode of consumption for city residents. I explore urban foraging (the practice of gathering Indigenous and introduced edible plants from streets, parks, railway reserves, etc.) within the context of a human/nature dualism which defines humans and nature as opposite. Urban foraging, which takes its roots in Indigenous Australian foraging traditions, is becoming more popular today as individuals seek connection with their food sources. Underlying this trend is a critique of industrial agriculture and the Western way of eating, as well as a need for a more sustainable system. The industrial system obscures the origins of the foods it produces by processing them so they appear as products of culture rather than nature. The urban foraging system, through gathering wild foods, is an attempt to reconnect with nature in the middle of the city. I argue that taking responsibility for the food we eat via urban foraging and cooking is a way to connect to nature through food. The paper calls on individuals to rethink human-nature disconnectedness by digging deeper into the problem's cultural roots to consider how urban foraging begins to undermine a binary human/nature philosophical imaginary.