Rebecca Zarger | University of South Florida (original) (raw)

Papers by Rebecca Zarger

Ethnography is a core methodology in anthropology and other disciplines. Yet, there is currently ... more Ethnography is a core methodology in anthropology and other disciplines. Yet, there is currently no scholarly consensus on how to teach ethnographic methods-or even what methods belong in the ethnographic toolkit. We report on a systematic analysis of syllabi to gauge how ethnographic methods are taught in the United States. We analyze 107 methods syllabi from a nationally elicited sample of university faculty who teach ethnography. Systematic coding shows that ethics, research design, participant observation, interviewing, and analysis are central to ethnographic instruction. But many key components of ethical, quality ethnographic practice (like preparing an IRB application, reflexivity, positionality, taking field notes, accurate transcription, theme identification, and coding) are only taught rarely. We suggest that, without inclusion of such elements in its basic training, the fields that prioritize this methodology are at risk of inadvertently perpetuating uneven, erratic, and extractive fieldwork practices.

Background: Public engagement is needed to make sure urban forestry management efforts align with... more Background: Public engagement is needed to make sure urban forestry management efforts align with the values of the public being served. Noting this, we determined current and desired urban forest access of Florida (United States) residents using the criteria from the 3-30-300 rule (i.e., 3 trees visible from home, 30% canopy in neighborhood, and a green space within 300 meters of home). Methods: A survey of 1,716 Florida residents was conducted to assess canopy coverage and green space access. Respondents were then asked if this level of urban forest access was sufficient for their needs. We also asked their perceptions of the benefits and drawbacks of urban trees and whether they had any negative interactions with trees in the past. Results: We found that 37.3% of Florida residents met all three criteria of the 3-30-300 rule. Despite this, half the respondents would prefer more trees in their neighborhoods. When asked to name the top benefits provided by trees, the most common res...

Human Organization

Ethnography is a core methodology in anthropology and other disciplines. Yet, there is currently ... more Ethnography is a core methodology in anthropology and other disciplines. Yet, there is currently no scholarly consensus on how to teach ethnographic methods—or even what methods belong in the ethnographic toolkit. We report on a systematic analysis of syllabi to gauge how ethnographic methods are taught in the United States. We analyze 107 methods syllabi from a nationally elicited sample of university faculty who teach ethnography. Systematic coding shows that ethics, research design, participant observation, interviewing, and analysis are central to ethnographic instruction. But many key components of ethical, quality ethnographic practice (like preparing an IRB application, reflexivity, positionality, taking field notes, accurate transcription, theme identification, and coding) are only taught rarely. We suggest that, without inclusion of such elements in its basic training, the fields that prioritize this methodology are at risk of inadvertently perpetuating uneven, erratic, and...

Economic Anthropology, 2019

After a massive hurricane devastated Belize's south coast in 2001, "sustainable tourism" was the ... more After a massive hurricane devastated Belize's south coast in 2001, "sustainable tourism" was the national government's answer to spurring economic redevelopment. Since then, the communities of the Placencia Peninsula, in particular, have engaged in rapid tourism development as an economic strategy for securing local livelihoods, culminating in the arrival of mass cruise tourism in 2016. In a region where environmental resources and services shape the backbone of the tourism industry, controversies have erupted around current and future impacts of tourism on the environment. One of the more polarizing debates to emerge surrounds the role of wastewater management, which is not centralized in the region and has resulted in discharges of untreated or partially treated wastewater into local waterways where many residents and nongovernmental organizations perceive negative consequences for both human and environmental health. Friction between local residents and government technocrats on how to address the issue reveals how infrastructure planning can become a technopolitical practice in which cost-benefit analyses in the form of life cycle costing and environmental impact assessment, presented through the rhetoric of sustainability, are used to influence how water and wastewater are governed in Placencia. More broadly, our findings suggest that the micropolitics of infrastructure design and development can be a powerful force that organizes technocratic governance.

Sustainable Cities and Society, 2017

There is increasing global interest in the adoption of sustainable wastewater systems due to the ... more There is increasing global interest in the adoption of sustainable wastewater systems due to the significant human and environmental health benefits of properly treating wastewater effluents prior to being discharged into surface waters and local communities. Research demonstrates that wastewater infrastructure is sustainable only when multiple stakeholder groups are involved. Here we draw on the principles of integrated environmental resources management and sociocultural analyses to develop a framework for rapidly assessing stakeholder involvement in a proposed centralized wastewater project in Placencia, Belize. We demonstrate this framework by analyzing survey responses to measure stakeholder involvement and discuss the model's utility to inform groupings based on similarity in engagement. We employ Brainerd-Robinson similarity coefficients to rapidly assess stakeholders' involvement and produce a consensus score. We then evaluate the goodness of fit between these scores and correspondence analysis scatterplots. We conclude that Brainerd-Robinson scores provide a rapid means for determining relevant groupings of stakeholders, particularly in resource-scarce settings. Nuanced stakeholder groupings can inform researchers, policy makers, development workers, and community organizations about ways in which individuals are engaging with a project, providing a way to target suitable initiatives to promote sustained involvement.

Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 2016

Indigenous communities have the need to respond rapidly as development processes continue to chan... more Indigenous communities have the need to respond rapidly as development processes continue to change global environments. This paper argues that the health of communities, broadly defined, is linked to traditional ecological practices and that this linkage should be considered toward the goal of promoting social justice through education. Using data gathered using multiple methods in and around Mopan and Q’eqchi’ Maya villages in southern Belize, the paper outlines how ecological practices related to land use are valued and valuable in several, interlinked ways: through their contribution to what makes a “healthy life,” through their part in defining what it means to be “Maya” and have Maya heritage, and through their distinct role in the learning of skills as part of the informal education process. Informed by this research and the data collected through the implementation of the lessons themselves, this paper identifies how formalizing these ecological practices as part of an environmental and cultural heritage curriculum for primary schools, while not without challenges, has potential to positively impact well-being in indigenous communities, thereby promoting social justice through the maintenance of the ability to live healthy, valued lives.

Ecology and Society, 2014

Writings on global change and the relationships among traditional knowledge, biological diversity... more Writings on global change and the relationships among traditional knowledge, biological diversity, and cultural diversity; The most comprehensive collection of papers in the field to date, this volume presents state-of-the-art research and commentary from more than fifty of the world's leading ethnobiologists. Covering a wide range of ecosystems and world regions, the papers center on global change and the relationships among traditional knowledge, biological diversity, and cultural diversity. Specific themes include the acquisition, persistence, and loss of traditional ecological knowledge; ethnobiology and benefits sharing; ethnobiological classification; medical ethnobotany; ethnoentomology; ethnobiology and natural resource management; and agriculture and traditional knowledge. The volume will be of interest to scholars in anthropology, ecology, and related fields and also to professionals in conservation and indigenous rights organizations.

Practicing Anthropology

Our project investigates public perceptions of climate change risk and vulnerability in the Tampa... more Our project investigates public perceptions of climate change risk and vulnerability in the Tampa Bay, Florida, region, specifically focused on how climate change is likely to impact water infrastructure in the area. As part of the project, our research team of anthropologists and environmentally-focused state extension agents collaboratively developed public workshops to promote more dialogue on local climate change impacts. The anthropologists developed localized climate change scenarios based on global climate models, Florida-centric models, and input from key informants. Extension agents brought expertise in climate and sustainability science and facilitating educational programming and dialogue. We documented residents' concerns and views on climate change, how local scenarios are received by the public, and how scenarios can be communicated to the public through narrative and visual formats. We consider the roles of anthropologist-extension agent partnerships in creating n...

The Journal of Environmental Education

Annals of Anthropological Practice

Ethnography is a core methodology in anthropology and other disciplines. Yet, there is currently ... more Ethnography is a core methodology in anthropology and other disciplines. Yet, there is currently no scholarly consensus on how to teach ethnographic methods-or even what methods belong in the ethnographic toolkit. We report on a systematic analysis of syllabi to gauge how ethnographic methods are taught in the United States. We analyze 107 methods syllabi from a nationally elicited sample of university faculty who teach ethnography. Systematic coding shows that ethics, research design, participant observation, interviewing, and analysis are central to ethnographic instruction. But many key components of ethical, quality ethnographic practice (like preparing an IRB application, reflexivity, positionality, taking field notes, accurate transcription, theme identification, and coding) are only taught rarely. We suggest that, without inclusion of such elements in its basic training, the fields that prioritize this methodology are at risk of inadvertently perpetuating uneven, erratic, and extractive fieldwork practices.

Background: Public engagement is needed to make sure urban forestry management efforts align with... more Background: Public engagement is needed to make sure urban forestry management efforts align with the values of the public being served. Noting this, we determined current and desired urban forest access of Florida (United States) residents using the criteria from the 3-30-300 rule (i.e., 3 trees visible from home, 30% canopy in neighborhood, and a green space within 300 meters of home). Methods: A survey of 1,716 Florida residents was conducted to assess canopy coverage and green space access. Respondents were then asked if this level of urban forest access was sufficient for their needs. We also asked their perceptions of the benefits and drawbacks of urban trees and whether they had any negative interactions with trees in the past. Results: We found that 37.3% of Florida residents met all three criteria of the 3-30-300 rule. Despite this, half the respondents would prefer more trees in their neighborhoods. When asked to name the top benefits provided by trees, the most common res...

Human Organization

Ethnography is a core methodology in anthropology and other disciplines. Yet, there is currently ... more Ethnography is a core methodology in anthropology and other disciplines. Yet, there is currently no scholarly consensus on how to teach ethnographic methods—or even what methods belong in the ethnographic toolkit. We report on a systematic analysis of syllabi to gauge how ethnographic methods are taught in the United States. We analyze 107 methods syllabi from a nationally elicited sample of university faculty who teach ethnography. Systematic coding shows that ethics, research design, participant observation, interviewing, and analysis are central to ethnographic instruction. But many key components of ethical, quality ethnographic practice (like preparing an IRB application, reflexivity, positionality, taking field notes, accurate transcription, theme identification, and coding) are only taught rarely. We suggest that, without inclusion of such elements in its basic training, the fields that prioritize this methodology are at risk of inadvertently perpetuating uneven, erratic, and...

Economic Anthropology, 2019

After a massive hurricane devastated Belize's south coast in 2001, "sustainable tourism" was the ... more After a massive hurricane devastated Belize's south coast in 2001, "sustainable tourism" was the national government's answer to spurring economic redevelopment. Since then, the communities of the Placencia Peninsula, in particular, have engaged in rapid tourism development as an economic strategy for securing local livelihoods, culminating in the arrival of mass cruise tourism in 2016. In a region where environmental resources and services shape the backbone of the tourism industry, controversies have erupted around current and future impacts of tourism on the environment. One of the more polarizing debates to emerge surrounds the role of wastewater management, which is not centralized in the region and has resulted in discharges of untreated or partially treated wastewater into local waterways where many residents and nongovernmental organizations perceive negative consequences for both human and environmental health. Friction between local residents and government technocrats on how to address the issue reveals how infrastructure planning can become a technopolitical practice in which cost-benefit analyses in the form of life cycle costing and environmental impact assessment, presented through the rhetoric of sustainability, are used to influence how water and wastewater are governed in Placencia. More broadly, our findings suggest that the micropolitics of infrastructure design and development can be a powerful force that organizes technocratic governance.

Sustainable Cities and Society, 2017

There is increasing global interest in the adoption of sustainable wastewater systems due to the ... more There is increasing global interest in the adoption of sustainable wastewater systems due to the significant human and environmental health benefits of properly treating wastewater effluents prior to being discharged into surface waters and local communities. Research demonstrates that wastewater infrastructure is sustainable only when multiple stakeholder groups are involved. Here we draw on the principles of integrated environmental resources management and sociocultural analyses to develop a framework for rapidly assessing stakeholder involvement in a proposed centralized wastewater project in Placencia, Belize. We demonstrate this framework by analyzing survey responses to measure stakeholder involvement and discuss the model's utility to inform groupings based on similarity in engagement. We employ Brainerd-Robinson similarity coefficients to rapidly assess stakeholders' involvement and produce a consensus score. We then evaluate the goodness of fit between these scores and correspondence analysis scatterplots. We conclude that Brainerd-Robinson scores provide a rapid means for determining relevant groupings of stakeholders, particularly in resource-scarce settings. Nuanced stakeholder groupings can inform researchers, policy makers, development workers, and community organizations about ways in which individuals are engaging with a project, providing a way to target suitable initiatives to promote sustained involvement.

Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 2016

Indigenous communities have the need to respond rapidly as development processes continue to chan... more Indigenous communities have the need to respond rapidly as development processes continue to change global environments. This paper argues that the health of communities, broadly defined, is linked to traditional ecological practices and that this linkage should be considered toward the goal of promoting social justice through education. Using data gathered using multiple methods in and around Mopan and Q’eqchi’ Maya villages in southern Belize, the paper outlines how ecological practices related to land use are valued and valuable in several, interlinked ways: through their contribution to what makes a “healthy life,” through their part in defining what it means to be “Maya” and have Maya heritage, and through their distinct role in the learning of skills as part of the informal education process. Informed by this research and the data collected through the implementation of the lessons themselves, this paper identifies how formalizing these ecological practices as part of an environmental and cultural heritage curriculum for primary schools, while not without challenges, has potential to positively impact well-being in indigenous communities, thereby promoting social justice through the maintenance of the ability to live healthy, valued lives.

Ecology and Society, 2014

Writings on global change and the relationships among traditional knowledge, biological diversity... more Writings on global change and the relationships among traditional knowledge, biological diversity, and cultural diversity; The most comprehensive collection of papers in the field to date, this volume presents state-of-the-art research and commentary from more than fifty of the world's leading ethnobiologists. Covering a wide range of ecosystems and world regions, the papers center on global change and the relationships among traditional knowledge, biological diversity, and cultural diversity. Specific themes include the acquisition, persistence, and loss of traditional ecological knowledge; ethnobiology and benefits sharing; ethnobiological classification; medical ethnobotany; ethnoentomology; ethnobiology and natural resource management; and agriculture and traditional knowledge. The volume will be of interest to scholars in anthropology, ecology, and related fields and also to professionals in conservation and indigenous rights organizations.

Practicing Anthropology

Our project investigates public perceptions of climate change risk and vulnerability in the Tampa... more Our project investigates public perceptions of climate change risk and vulnerability in the Tampa Bay, Florida, region, specifically focused on how climate change is likely to impact water infrastructure in the area. As part of the project, our research team of anthropologists and environmentally-focused state extension agents collaboratively developed public workshops to promote more dialogue on local climate change impacts. The anthropologists developed localized climate change scenarios based on global climate models, Florida-centric models, and input from key informants. Extension agents brought expertise in climate and sustainability science and facilitating educational programming and dialogue. We documented residents' concerns and views on climate change, how local scenarios are received by the public, and how scenarios can be communicated to the public through narrative and visual formats. We consider the roles of anthropologist-extension agent partnerships in creating n...

The Journal of Environmental Education

Annals of Anthropological Practice

Cities form hubs where social and biophysical mechanisms interact to regulate massive transfers o... more Cities form hubs where social and biophysical mechanisms interact to regulate massive transfers of energy and material. Our ULTRA site, the Tampa Bay Region Socioecosystem (TBRS), investigates how social organization and distribution of power drive resource transfer, and thus modify social and ecological structures and functions in the city and its hinterlands. Water is our focal resource, and the TBRS encompasses a mosaic of water providing and consuming areas overlying varied urban and rural land covers. We investigate three core questions. (Q1) What variability exists throughout the region in perceptions and values of hydroecological change, and what demographic factors explain that variability? (Q2) How, according to key informants at various levels in the water management hierarchy, do social and political power result in particular outcomes of water redistribution? (Q3) Owing to the region’s shallow groundwater and karst geology, do its numerous wetlands ecologically and hydrologically express changes in water policy, and do these changes inform future policies?

Changes in wetland ecohydrology and water management reveal (i.) cyclical feedbacks between biophysical and socio-political subsystems of the TBRS, and (ii.) interactions among natural resource managers across hierarchical levels. Human water needs in the TBRS are largely met by groundwater pumped from wellfields. In the 20th Century, area governments maintained independent ownership of wellfields, often beyond jurisdictional boundaries, generating tension over resource rights and ultimately motivating the 1998 formation of a regional utility that consolidated wellfield ownership. This utility receives permits from a state-governed authority, which in 2010 required a 25% reduction in groundwater withdrawals. Our ULTRA thus begins studying the TBRS at the outset of a regulatory transition. Through focus groups and public meeting observations, we have captured variability in perceptions of water policy and ecological change. These findings have led to an instrument for household surveys stratified by location relative to putative conflict zones in the water supply/use mosaic, and a directory of key informants to continue answering Q1 and Q2. These results are being coupled with investigations of sentinel changes in wetland ecosystems (Q3). We have documented variability among wetlands in soil oxidation and long-term water table and vegetation dynamics, suggesting an uneven response to water management activities. We are now testing landscape position hypotheses for this spatial variability and are poised to investigate how this ecohydrological change feeds back on future iterations of the management cycle.