Department of Global Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Department of Anthropology, University of Arizona.
Med Anthropol Q. 2019 Sep;33(3):307-326. doi: 10.1111/maq.12514. Epub 2019 Apr 29.
Anthropology has largely ignored plastics, even as they have emerged as the paradigmatic material-and problem-of our times. In this article, we make the case for an anthropology of plastics as a priority for environmental and medical anthropological research. Drawing from exploratory fieldwork in India, we briefly highlight the benefits and risks of different types of plastics, identify areas for anthropological investigations of human-plastic entanglements, and unpack major debates about plastic control. We recommend analyses that take into account the social life of plastics and the life cycle of plastic production, consumption, circulation, disposal, retrieval, and decomposition. We propose a facilitator role for anthropologists in bringing environmental NGOs and the plastic industry to the table to reduce the human and environmental health risks related to widespread reliance on plastics. Overall, we argue that anthropological analyses are urgently needed to address environmental and global health concerns related to plastics.
人类学在很大程度上忽视了塑料，尽管它们已经成为我们这个时代的典型材料和问题。在本文中，我们提出将塑料人类学作为环境和医学人类学研究的优先事项。我们从印度的探索性实地调查中汲取灵感，简要强调了不同类型塑料的益处和风险，确定了人类与塑料交织的人类学研究领域，并剖析了关于塑料控制的主要争论。我们建议进行分析时要考虑到塑料的社会生活和塑料生产、消费、循环、处置、回收和分解的生命周期。我们提议让人类学家充当促进者的角色，将环境非政府组织和塑料行业召集在一起，以降低广泛依赖塑料所带来的人类和环境健康风险。总的来说，我们认为迫切需要进行人类学分析，以解决与塑料相关的环境和全球健康问题。
