XVI International Botanical Congess

The end of the 20th century is characterized by a rapid transition towards an increasingly integrated global economy and society. The explosive growth of knowledge-based industries and technologies, the consolidation of worldwide neoliberalist policies and the growing influence of mass media, are all expected to continue shaping the broad nature of social and economic relations. These changes in turn have profound implications for science, botany and ethnobotany. Through the use of specific examples, I illustrate some of the issues, challenges and contradictions facing ethnobotanists seeking to develop socially and politically sustainable research models in this complex and rapidly changing environment. The commodification of cultural and genetic resources, the increased privatization of science, education and development, and a historically unparalleled articulation between local and global actors, all need to be taken into account as economic botanists articulate their agendas into the 21st century.