Open research questions in Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond
64 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 768 Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.
What the literature leaves open
The dominance of natural sciences in environmental decision-making - The lack of recognition of indigenous peoples' perspectives and practices - The need for a paradigm shift in environmental protection
Introduction – Special issue on indigenous ecological knowledge in South Asia: Lessons for rights of nature discourses · 2026 · DOIThe lack of recognition of indigenous ecological knowledge in environmental decision-making - The need for alternative approaches to sustainable development - The potential of rights of nature discourses in environmental protection
Introduction – Special issue on indigenous ecological knowledge in South Asia: Lessons for rights of nature discourses · 2026 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in understanding the relations between prescriptive methodological talk and research practice. The paper notes that the usefulness of methodological prescription depends on the user.
The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of human society and the organization of work. It argues that existing ideologies, such as systems theory and dialectical materialism, are limited and ignore the importance of human creativity and individual liberation.
The paper notes that its methodology is just one possible approach to inferring beliefs from landscapes. It also acknowledges that the development of a consistent theory of the relationships between belief and landscape will require further research.
The paper identifies a gap in the existing literature on using cultural landscapes as evidence of a society's beliefs and attitudes. The gap is due to a lack of a philosophical foundation and a consistent methodology for inferring beliefs from landscapes.
The study identifies a gap in understanding the ecological sensitivity and resistance of cultures in Asia. The combined data from Asia suggest that the highlands and the lowlands comprise two rather distinct ecological niches or ecological zones over a vast region.
The complexity of developing a general theory in the field of physical culture. The need to integrate theoretical and methodological conceptions from the social sciences.
The lack of a general theory in the field of physical culture. The need for a foundation for planning further empirical research, description, analysis, and interpretation of reality.
The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the complex relationships between culture and environment. The paper aims to fill this gap by introducing the concept of cultural ecology as a method for understanding the effect of environment upon culture.
The history of the relationship between environment and culture in ethnological thought: An overview · 1975 · DOIThe need for anthropology to ask questions about how human society ought to be organized, - The need for a more systematic and disciplined look into normative theory
There is a need to understand the relationship between environment and tool types. More evidence from allied disciplines is needed, plus more data on the functional attributes of the implements.
There is a need for a new approach to economic anthropology. The current state of the field is characterized by theoretical and methodological contradictions.
Production, ecology and economic anthropology : Notes toward an integrated frame of reference · 1973 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the impact of domestication and cultivation on human relations. The author argues that the daily life of past ages must be reconstructed to understand what actually happened.
There is a lack of understanding of socio-cultural factors that resist technological change. There is a need to analyze the components of behavior and the influence of social and cultural factors on technological change.
An Analysis of Socio-Cultural Factors in Resistance To Technological Change in Traditional Societies · 1968 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the four traditions of geography. The study highlights the need for a comprehensive understanding of the discipline of geography.
The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the culture-change process. It notes that the approaches of planners, promoters, and administrators, and social scientists have limitations.
There is a lack of detailed studies on the Chimbu land and society - The Naregu tribe is one of the most acculturated Chimbu groups, but little is known about their social structure
There is a lack of understanding of the role of colors in Malagasy culture. The study aims to fill this gap by exploring the mystical significance of colors among the natives of Madagascar.
The field of biosocial anthropology is not well-defined, - There is a lack of integrated research in biosocial anthropology
The study may not expose methodological weaknesses. The data is limited to two time periods.
Most anthropological research is not directly comparable. The study fills this gap by providing comparable data from two time periods.
The struggle against myopic ethnocentricism, - The need to respond to the new conditions associated with a smaller and more dangerous world
The lack of understanding of the similarities and differences between the cultural landscapes of South America and Australia
SOUTHERN AFFINITIES AND CONTRASTS A COMPARATIVE REVIEW OF THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPES OF SOUTH AMERICA AND AUSTRALIA · 1964 · DOIClimate variability affects precipitation patterns, temperature regimes, and hydrological balances. There is a gap between climate awareness and response capacity. Institutional support and technical capacity are crucial for shaping adaptation outcomes.
The perception of the impacts of climate change in communities surrounding Lake Titicaca, Peru-Bolivia. · 2026 · DOI
Most-cited papers in Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond
- The Flower World of Old Uto-Aztecan · Journal of Anthropological Research · 1992 · 63 citations
- Defining Indicators Which Make Sense to Local People: Intra-Cultural Variation in Perceptions of Natural Resources · Human Organization · 1998 · 51 citations
- A Decolonial Approach to Innovation? Building Paths Towards Buen Vivir · The Journal of Development Studies · 2022 · 45 citations
- Experimental Science for the ‘Bananapocalypse’: Counter Politics in the Plantationocene · Ethnos · 2021 · 44 citations
- Learning from a more-than-human perspective. Plants as teachers · The Journal of Environmental Education · 2020 · 36 citations
- Perceptions of Local Environmental Issues and the Relevance of Climate Change in Nepal's Terai: Perspectives From Two Communities · Frontiers in Sociology · 2019 · 35 citations
- Social Typology and the Tropical Forest Civilizations · Comparative Studies in Society and History · 1961 · 29 citations
- Guinea Pigs, Protein, and Ritual · Ethnology · 1979 · 29 citations
- Solastalgia to Soliphilia: Cultural Fire, Climate Change, and Indigenous Healing · Ecopsychology · 2023 · 26 citations
- Unravelling Lessonia trabeculata management in coastal areas of the Atacama region of northern Chile through a DPSIR approach: Insights for sustainable plans · Marine Policy · 2021 · 23 citations
Most recent work
- Territories of Care: Feminist Proposals in the Face of Extractivism in Chile’s Atacama Desert · Latin American Perspectives · 2026
- Politics and Epistemologies in Collaborative and Engaged Research Action with the Mebengokré in the Amazon · Public Anthropologist · 2026
- Introduction – Special issue on indigenous ecological knowledge in South Asia: Lessons for rights of nature discourses · Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences · 2026
- The perception of the impacts of climate change in communities surrounding Lake Titicaca, Peru-Bolivia. · F1000Research · 2026
- El chimal patrimonio biocultural del Semidesierto Queretano y propuesta de acciones para su conservación · Agro-Divulgación · 2026
- Between gods and green: ritual plant use of traditional festivals in the Chaoshan region, China · Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine · 2026
- Mediating mezcal: magic and meaning in an ancient modern product · Journal of Cultural Geography · 2026
- Cultural change and sociality among the Moré of the lower Guaporé River · Ethnography · 2026
- Head of Life: An Analysis of the Significance of the Head in the Andes · The University of Western Ontario Journal of Anthropology · 2026
- The Water Festival (Layimama) and Collective Identity in the Inter-Andean Valley of Ticsani, Southern Peru · Humans · 2026
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