Constructing 'Climate Change Knowledge the example of small-scale farmers in the Swartland region, South Africa

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:During the last decades 'Climate Change has become a vital topic on national andinternational political agendas. There it is presented as an irrevocable fact of globalimpact and thus of universal relevance. What has often been neglected are localdiscourses of marginalized groups and their specific contextualization of 'ClimateChange phenomena. The aim of this project, to develop another perspective alongthese dominant narratives, has resulted in the research question How is social realityreconstructed on the phenomenon of 'Climate Change among the 'Emerging BlackFarmers in the Swartland region in Western Cape, South Africa?Taken as an example, 'Climate Change Knowledge is reconstructed through acase study on the information exchange between the NGO Goedgedacht Trust andlocal small-scale farmers in the post-Apartheid context of on-going political, social,economic and educational transition in South Africa.Using a constructivist approach, 'Climate Change Knowledge is not understoodas an objectively given, but a socially constructed 'reality that is based on theinterdependency of socio-economic conditions and individual assets, includinglanguage skills and language practice, sets of social norms and values, as well asstrategies of knowledge transfer.The data set consists of qualitative data sources, such as application forms andinterview material, which are triangulated. The rationale of a multi-layered data analysisincludes a discursive perspective as well as linguistic and ethical 'side perspectives.Epistemologically, the thesis is guided by assumptions of complexity theory, framingknowledge around 'Climate Change as a fluid, constantly changing system that isshaped by constant intra- and inter-systemic exchange processes, and characterizedby non-linearity, self-organization and representation of its constituents. From thispoint of departure, a theoretical terminology has been developed, which differentiatesbetween symbols, interrelations, contents and content clusters. These elements arelocated in a system of spatio-temporal orientation and embedded into a broader(socio-economic) context of 'historicity. Content clusters are remodelled with thehelp of concept maps. Starting from that, a local perspective on 'Climate Change isdeveloped, adding an experiential notion to the global narratives.The thesis concludes that there is no single reality about 'Climate Changeand that the farmers' 'Climate Change Knowledge highly depends on experientialrelativity and spatio-temporal immediacy. Furthermore, analysis has shown that thesystem's historicity and social manifestations can be traced in the scope and emphasisof the content clusters discussed. Finally the thesis demonstrates that characteristicsof symbols, interconnections and contents range between dichotomies of direct andindirect, predictable versus unpredictable, awareness and negligence or threat anddanger, all coexisting and creating a continuum of knowledge production.All names of participants in this study are mentioned on the basis of explicit informedconsent.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University