The Darrell Posey Fellowship

© Edmond Dounias

WHAT IS ETHNOECOLOGY?

Ethnoecology is the study of complex relationships, both past and present, between people and their environment. It transcends the disciplinary boundaries of anthropology, botany, zoology, ecology, economics, archaeology, pharmacology, linguistics and related fields. The emphasis of ethnoecology is on local peoples’ perceptions, knowledge and understandings of their own reality and problems. Few fields are better positioned to provide the background, knowledge, and insights necessary to promote dialogue and find workable solutions to today’s pressing resource management and social justice concerns.

WHAT ARE TRADITIONAL RESOURCE RIGHTS?

Traditional resource rights integrate a bundle of basic rights that include human and cultural rights, the right to self-determination, and land and territorial rights. Traditional resource rights recognize the right of indigenous peoples and local communities to control the use of plant, animal and other resources, and associated traditional knowledge and technologies. They take into account the spiritual, aesthetic, cultural and economic values of such resources, knowledge and technologies.

The Darrell Posey Fellowship promotes understanding of peoples’ complex and dynamic relationships with their environment, and supports indigenous peoples and local communities working to sustainably manage, and secure rights to, their environment and resources. The Darrell Posey Fellowship for Ethnoecology and Traditional Resource Rights was launched in 2004 with a grant from The Christensen Fund, and is administered by the International Society of Ethnobiology, of which Darrell Posey was a founder.

© Edmond Dounias

You can support the fellowship by making a secure online donation now, or by contacting the Fellowship Administrator.

THE CORE OBJECTIVES OF THE DARRELL POSEY FELLOWSHIP ARE:

• to build ethnoecology as a discipline, while promoting ethical research practices and processes;
• to assist indigenous peoples working to achieve land, cultural, human, traditional resource, and other rights;
• to address broader spiritual and cultural aspects of well-being, health, and the environment.

A Darrell Posey Fellowship will be awarded every year and each will run for two years. The fellowship will alternate each year between a Field Fellowship and an Oxford University Fellowship. The Fellowship program also includes the award of small grants to indigenous peoples and local community groups.

For information on the nomination and application process, click here.

For background on the fellowship program and structure, click here.

THE FIELD FELLOWSHIP

The Field Fellowship is awarded to individuals pursuing applied, on-the-ground activities to support resource management, and cultural, human, land, resource and other rights of indigenous peoples and local communities around the world. The award targets grassroots activities and individuals that may or may not have an interest in academic concerns. The Field Fellows receive $20,000 per year for two years.

THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY FELLOWSHIP

The Oxford University Fellowship supports individuals pursuing academic research in ethnoecology and traditional resource rights. The Fellow will be a Visiting Fellow, based at Linacre College, Oxford University. Collaborating departments and institutes within the University include: the Centre for Brazilian Studies, the Department of Plant Sciences, the Environmental Change Institute, Queen Elizabeth House, and the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology. The Oxford University Fellows receive $25,000 per year for two years.

SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM

The Darrell Posey Fellowship also awards two small grants each year to support indigenous and community groups addressing resource management or rights issues. The incorporation of small grants into the Fellowship program reflects the widespread need for small, strategic sums to fill gaps in funding, respond to crises, or catalyze resource management change or institutional development. Small grants are $5,000 per year for two years.

The International Society of Ethnobiology is committed to achieving a greater understanding of the complex relationships, both past and present, that exist within and between human societies and their environments. The Society endeavors to promote a harmonious existence between people and the environment, for the benefit of future generations.

© Herbie Girardet

Darrell Posey was a remarkable researcher, activist, and pioneer in the field of ethnoecology. Following his death in 2001, a group of his friends and colleagues established a fellowship in his name, in order to build upon Darrell’s unique vision. The fellowship reflects his academic and applied work in the field of ethnoecology and traditional resource rights, as well as his activism on behalf of indigenous peoples in Brazil and throughout the world.

In Memoriam - Two obituary articles for Darrell Posey are available here

The logo for the Darrell Posey Fellowship is based on drawings by Irã Kayapó, made as part of ethnoecological research undertaken with Darrell Posey. Permission to use the images as part of the logo was sought and granted by INBRAPI (Instituto Indigena Brasileiro para a Propriedade Intelectual).

For more information on the Darrell Posey Fellowship for Ethnoecology and Traditional Resource Rights — write to:

The Darrell Posey Fellowship, PO Box 303 Bristol, VT 05443, USA.

Logo and brochure design by Betsy Bell.

Cover photograph © Edmond Dounias.