Abstract

The proposal is to do an ethnographic research on the meanings of sustainability and heritage in contemporary society, using cork in Portugal as the object of study. To this end, the work of anthropologist Anna Tsing will be the main theoretical reference, from which the concept of 'frictions' that entitles this project derives. Between traditional forestry and industrial processing, commoditization as a product,  patrimonialization and musealization as cultural heritage, what are the socio-environmental dynamics of cork in Portugal? What historical events shaped these scenarios? Who are the actors involved in them? How do they perceive the issue of climate change and imagine their own living conditions in the future? Following cork ways in different scales and contexts, the aim is to describe some contemporary landscapes formed by the ideas of sustainability (socio-environmental) and heritage (cultural, natural, material, immaterial) in Portugal, as well as reflect on the future perspectives of these in the context of global climate change.

Team