Paper short abstract:

I will address the historical depth of the implicit dichotomy that separates even those who endeavour to stand at the interface of the two main paradigms composing the sub-discipline of Environmental Anthropology, one sociologically-humanist centred and other biologically-naturalist centred.

Paper long abstract:

The issue of the dialogue between disciplines has a long history, and yet it continues to present intense scientific discussions today. This is particularly striking in the case of the humanities and the natural sciences, where scholars often locate the "great divide". In particular, I dedicate this text to shedding some light on the question of "How can we carry out a more holistic analysis of human-environment relations based on an epistemological and methodological context specific to anthropology?". In an effort to synthesize the great diversity of anthropological reflections analysing human-environment relations, the different currents of thought can be placed mainly within a Humanist or within a Naturalist paradigm. Greater awareness and consciousness of the details of this 'great divide', the problems each paradigm poses, how to face the divide and how the division is being perpetuated through time must be hence, urgently and critically addressed to truly transcend the ontologically implicit borders, even in those who endeavour to practice inter-disciplinarity. In this context, my hypothesis is that the different perspectives within Environmental Anthropology have placed themselves historically along three main gradients, 1.- Materialist-Idealist, 2.- Individual-Social, 3.- Quantitative-Qualitative, which have forced the different perspectives to cluster into the two different great perspectives of Naturalism and Humanism and which must be undone through the reconnection of these three axes. I use the term "eco-anthropology" to refer to this new approach that I consider being a prelude to a possible global analysis progressively holistic and capable of proposing an increasingly overarching view.