The zooarchaeology of medieval Christendom: ideology, the treatment of animals and the making of medieval Europe

The formation of Christendom – of Europe – was associated with a standardized worldview expressing dominion over the natural world. While some sections of medieval society, specifically monasteries and the aristocratic class, appear to have developed this paradigm, there is also evidence for heterogeneity in practice and belief. Zooarchaeologists have accumulated vast quantities of data from medieval contexts which has enabled the ecological signatures of specific social groups to be identified, and how these developed from the latter centuries of the first millennium ad. It is possible from this to consider whether trends in animal exploitation can be associated with the Christian world view of dominion, and with the very idea of what it meant to be Christian. This may enable zooarchaeologists to situate the ecological trends of the Middle Ages within the context of Europeanization, and the consolidation of a Christian society.

Poetry on Pre-Raphaelite principles: science, nature and knowledge in William Michael Rossetti’s 'Fancies at Leisure' and 'Mrs. Holmes Grey'

This article demonstrates how early Pre-Raphaelite poetry worked according to the principle that art should be modelled on science theorised by the Pre-Raphaelites in their early essays. As the main theorists (rather than practitioners) of Pre-Raphaelite art, F. G. Stephens and William Michael Rossetti defined the Pre-Raphaelite project in terms of observation, investigation, experiment, the “adherence to fact” and the “search after truth”. In the hands of the early Pre-Raphaelite poets, and particularly Rossetti himself, poetry too becomes a mode of scientific enquiry into the natural world, the nature of observation, human psychology and medical practice.

An introductory perspective to horticulture: plants for people and places

Horticulture is “the first of all the arts and sciences”. This definition indicates both the breadth and depth of the discipline and its early inception as mankind changed from being hunter-gatherers to cultivators. Intensive crop production which is a form of horticulture preceded more extensive agricultural practices. From that time onwards the intricate involvement of horticulture in man’s life has become very apparent by its multitude of applications and the interests of those involved. These extend from the provision of foodstuffs and nutritional benefits through pharmaceuticals to aspects of rest and relaxation onto encouraging physical and mental well-being. Horticulture is therefore, a discipline with many components and as such that it can mean different things in the varying context of its use. This chapter introduces the meanings of horticulture as expressed by the authors who have contributed to this Trilogy of Books. They have analysed in considerable depth “Horticulture” as expressed in its facets of production, environment and society. Horticulture has impact and expression in each of these fields of human activity. This chapter also sets Horticulture into the wider context of the world of plants and their intensive cultivation both in their use by mankind and in the natural world. The aim is to demonstrate the depth and breadth of human activity associated with this discipline for it stretches from crop production, through landscape design and maintenance and into aspects of society and its expression in the arts and humanities. Horticulture touches almost every aspect of human activity. Increasingly Horticulture has significant importance in contributing towards the mitigation of the major problems which now face life on Earth such as:- climate change, food security, the loss of natural biodiversity, pollution, resource erosion and over-population. Indeed despite or perhaps because of its antiquity and therefore its strong connection between science, technology and practice horticulture can offer solutions that might allude other disciplines.

Predator Survival Tactics and Use of Habitat Cover in Rana Catesbeiana.

Predator-prey relationships are an important aspect of the natural world, and, because of its relevance to survival and natural selection, is an interesting relationship to study. In amphibian larvae, level of activity and landscape use are often what determines the survival as prey. I studied the anti-predator behavior of the North American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) tadpoles when presented with dragonfly (Aeshna) larvae, a known predator of tadpoles. Tadpoles were acclimated to four different habitats with varying degrees of habitat cover, and were transferred to a new habitat with a degree of cover equal to one of the acclimation tanks. A restrained predator, and thus its chemical cue, was introduced, and the behavior, particularly the use of the habitat cover to hide from the perceived risk of predation was observed. A significantly higher frequency of inactivity was found in tank I than in II and III, and inactivity followed a general trend of decreasing with increasing habitat cover. Difference in tank cover was not found to have a significant effect on swimming behavior, but did have a significant effect on hiding behavior, which increased with higher availability. Foraging decreased significantly with the addition of a predator, but did not vary significantly with different levels of cover. Hiding behavior and reducing conspicuous behaviors (like foraging) are probably the behaviors that afford the tadpole the most success at eluding a predator in their natural environment.

Conceptualizing Wilderness Through GIS

The word “wilderness” in America is generally identified with pristine places where humans are not among the primary influences on the land and its ecology. The American wilderness ethic creates a strict dichotomy between humans and nature. The Wilderness Preservation Act of 1964 defines wilderness as “an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain” (wilderness.net). This statutory definition of wilderness is essentially the functional embodiment of the American wilderness ethic. Wilderness can also be interpreted in ways that incorporate humans as active players in the natural world. Land which is managed for human use but is uninhabited can be considered wilderness to some degree because “man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” Wilderness, especially in the Northeast, can be visualized based on different land use characteristics. Conservation in the Northeast requires a redefinition of wilderness in order to incorporate land that has been utilized by humans.

Sustentabilidade e Desenvolvimento Local: Estudo de Projeto na Formação da Ecovila Viver Simples em Itamonte - MG

Eco-villages are considered models of intentional communities or sustainable communities and have been incorporated by the United Nations in the Sustainable Communities Development Programme (SCDP) as a human scale settlement. They are characterized by human activities being integrated in a non-damaging way into the natural world in such a way as to give support to healthy human development so as to be able to continue indefinitely into the future. This text assesses the extent to which a project to create the Eco-village for Simple Living in Itamonte - Minas Gerais" is successful, based on the concepts of sustainability and local development succeeds, by examining the indicators and attributes that are able to be measured in the planning phase, describing the stages and discussions of the project, as well as assessing the members 'perception of "the concepts of the Eco-village", "sustainability" and "local development". Subsequent analysis of the degree of sustainability (ecological, social, economic, spacial and cultural / spiritual) and local development, based on the social economy, demonstrated the presence of a number of aspects used to support, guide, discuss, plan and implement actions in the creation of the Eco-village being studied. This work could be used as a guide to Eco-villages during the planning phase, indicating the importance of the concepts studied, especially for some communities which are self-proclaimed "Eco-villages" but which in fact do not show even the slightest structural aspects which would describe them as such, like solidarity in the relations between participants, or construction oriented with a view to the precepts of environmental preservation. "

Combater as secas e defender as florestas a natureza nos desafios da ciência e da técnica para modernizar o Brasil (1889 a 1934)

In the first decades of 20th century the just instituted Brazilian Republic faced the challenge to modernize the country. Considering that the progress was associated with the exhaustion of the forest reserves and with climatic changes, two big issues were seen as fundamental: To Fight the Droughts and To Defend the Forests; headed by professionals who were dedicated to these ideals. This research starts from the premise that these were the main challenges enforced by nature to the Brazilian development; the general objective was delimited in the search to understand the meaning and the conception of the natural world by this group of professionals who faced the shock between modernizing the country and conserving its natural resources. Aiming to contribute with the construction of the Brazilian environmental history and to bring historical elements to the debate about the environment in the country, the author concentrates his attention to the analyses, the discussions and the actions that preceded the regulation on the use of natural resources and the implementation of the environmental legislation in Brazil, occurred in 1934. The investigation uses as methodological basis the theoretical directions of environmental history, using sources of data still little explored and valued. In such way, it is taken as starting point some published papers about this subject during the period between 1889 and 1934 in two technical magazines the Revista Brazil Ferro-Carril and the Revista do Club de Engenharia. National engineering played a basic role in this process while arguing, projecting and constructing the development. The formulated proposals, after being divulged, had fomented the interchange with other professionals and had favored the advance of ambient questions in Brazil, in the sense to preserve natural resources, to construct more harmonic relations between the society and the nature and to equate the development with the environment preservation

Animais não humanos: a construção da titularidade jurídica como novos sujeitos de direito

This work has the main goal on the recognition of the inherent value of nonhuman animals, under the constitutional framework. It is presented the main philosophical formulations of the current pattern of behavior that rules the relationship between man and animals: first those that have excluded animals from moral consideration and then the thinkers which do have included, in some way, in order to elucidate the origin of the anthropocentric thought over the natural world. In this way, the analysis these thinkers that have included animals in moral consideration will contribute to a paradigm change from the anthropocentric view, initiating legal debates. It will be made a simplified analysis of different philosophical and legal points of view that have been demonstrating the posture in which the human beings have been dealing with the environment, with the replacement of the anthropocentric thinking for the biocentric view, in which life becomes the center of existence. Life is life, no matter whether it is human or not, has a value in itself, and must be protected and respected by the legal system. Then, it will be analized the constitutionalization of the nonhuman animal dignity in comparative law; the infraconstitutional legislation which concerning the intrinsic value of all life forms and, finally, the 1988 Constitution. It will be advocated for non-human animals the condition of subjects, presenting some cases that the Habeas Corpus was used in animal defense. In this new Brazilian Habeas Corpus theory of for apes the argument of genetic proximity was used in order to overcome the literal meaning of natural person to achieve hominids in order to assure the fundamental right of physical freedom. It is realized that the fact that the great apes being recognized as a person does not preclude the possibility of other living beings be recognized as subjects of law. In this way, animals can be considered non-human subjects of law, according to the theory of depersonalized entities and may enjoy a legal category that allows a respect for existential minimum, and can hold constitutional fundamental rights

Fragmentos da presença do pensamento idealista na história da construção das ciências da natureza

O propósito deste trabalho é estabelecer o caminho percorrido pelo idealismo em sua participação na construção das Ciências da Natureza desde a antigüidade até o final do século XX. Para os pensadores antigos, o mundo físico era governado pela idéia, e o modo de apreendê-la era por meio da contemplação da alma ou da observação e da lógica. Na escolástica essa idéia é Deus. Na renascença, Deus se torna matemático. em Galileu a Matemática do mundo é entendida pela experimentação. Para Descartes o mundo é mecânico e entendido por hipóteses dedutivas. Newton enxerga o mundo mecânico construído e corrigido pelo Deus geômetra e entendido pela observação e experimentação. Os empiristas retiram a idéia do universo e a colocam no espírito humano. em Kant as regras que organizam as idéias na mente também organizam o mundo mecânico. em Hegel o real só é real porque é racional, e essa racionalidade vem de Deus, que transforma o mundo natural e atinge o espírito humano. Os pensadores, influenciados por Hegel, percebem a incapacidade das leis da mecânica explicarem as leis da vida. Comte e Bergson procuram, de forma diferente, submeter às leis da Física às leis das ciências da vida. O universo mecanicista é absorvido pelo determinismo relativista e pelo probabilismo quântico. A linguagem da lógica se associa ao empirismo na descrição da ciência procurando retirar dela o idealismo e a metafísica e, após um período de florescimento, acaba não tendo sucesso. A dificuldade da apreensão do real volta a ser o problema da ciência no final do século XX, e a procura de uma possível solução reaproxima a ciência do idealismo.

Memória de velhas professoras: a natureza e a relação sociedade-natureza

Este artigo tem como objetivo identificar, a partir da memória de velhas professoras, as concepções de natureza e de relação sociedade-natureza presentes nos depoimentos de professoras que atuaram na rede pública estadual de uma cidade do interior do estado de São Paulo, nas décadas de 1960 e 1970. Constatou-se, por meio das leituras das narrativas, que as professoras apresentam a natureza por meio de diferentes concepções. No que diz respeito à relação sociedade-natureza, evidencia-se a relação conflituosa que se estabelece entre o homem e a natureza. No geral, o homem foi apresentado como aquele que destrói a natureza, caracterizado pelas professoras como ruim e ignorante. Tentar compreender como a natureza e a relação sociedade-natureza se fazem presentes na memória dessas professoras pode contribuir para a construção de novas formas de relação sociedade-natureza nos dias atuais.

Laboratório de História e meio ambiente: estratégia institucional na formação continuada de historiadores

Apresentação de proposta de ação institucional e seus fundamentos teóricos e metodológicos para a formação de professores de História. Enfoque na elaboração de material didático, nas atividades de ensino e aprendizagem e na avaliação sobre as questões ambientais presentes no conhecimento histórico escolar, nas práticas de pesquisa e educação ambiental. As experiências foram desenvolvidas em 2002-2003 pelo projeto História e Meio Ambiente: estudo das formas de viver, sentir e pensar o mundo natural na América portuguesa e no Império do Brasil (1550-1889), junto ao Núcleo de Ensino da Faculdade de Ciências e Letras da Unesp, em Assis/SP.

Entre o mito e a técnica: representações de natureza em fontes fotográficas (Londrina, 1934-1944)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Ecologias em Terra Paulista (1894-1950): as relações entre o homem e o meio ambiente durante a expansão agrícola do Estado de São Paulo

Pós-graduação em História - FCLAS

A representação da natureza no romance francês do século XIX

Busca-se determinar as características da representação da natureza no romance francês do século XIX, analisando-se Paul et Virginie de Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, Les travailleurs de la mer de Victor Hugo e L’Ève future de Villiers de l’Isle-Adam, por meio da teoria sócio-crítica e do embate com o texto. Na primeira parte, faz-se um retrospecto da representação nas artes e na literatura, destacando-se as concepções de Aristóteles e as do Romantismo. Apresenta-se também um panorama das concepções da natureza no tempo e no espaço e reflete-se sobre as relações do homem com o mundo natural, bem como sobre as teorias a elas referentes no âmbito da história, da pintura e da literatura. Na segunda parte, analisam-se os três romances escolhidos, buscando-se neles os modos e os sentidos da representação literária da natureza. Conclui-se pela existência, nas três obras estudadas, de uma atitude ambígua do homem diante da natureza, que havia sido anteriormente detectada na história. Embora diferenciadas entre si, sob alguns aspectos, as representações da natureza no corpus estudado demonstram o registro, no universo literário, de marcas do contexto histórico, político e social em que os três romances foram escritos, publicados e usufruidos.

Proposta para a implantação de uma trilha interpretativa com bases na Pedagogia Waldorf na Floresta Estadual Edmundo Navarro de Andrade - Rio Claro, SP

At a time when people turn increasingly to technological innovations and virtual networks, a closer interaction with the environment can provide sensitizing experiences. One tool that facilitates this approach is the interpretative trail: its use in a Unit of Conservation (UC) allows more contact between the visitor and the nature elements. This research aimed to propose the establishment of an interpretative trail at the State Florest “Edmundo Navarro de Andrade” (FEENA) in Rio Claro (SP) with theoretical bases from Waldorf Pedagogy. The proposed trail is destined for students with 07-14 years-old, a period that the awareness is more accurate in a person, according to Waldorf tenets. On the path of the trail, we propose some educational activities at the points of interpretation: storytelling about environment; “photograph” the place with a drawing; create a song with sounds produced by the body and by nature elements; blindfold guide and a circle of people to share experiences. The activities aim to provide in the student a close and harmonious contact with oneself, with other people and with the natural world, and also serve as a support for programs of public use and environmental education at UC. The environmental awareness process in the context of FEENA - which has a significant landscape valuation - develops through the sensibilities of exterior and interior world. And also develops with the creation if images, thoughts, feelings and interdependencies relationships. Therefore, the ecologic education allows changes and formation of values and sensitive attitudes to students about the environment