The pepperweed issue in Sebastopol, CA: a case study
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Authors
Feinstein, Kevin
Issue Date
2006
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Consciousness
Alternative Title
Abstract
The questions I asked in this study aimed to be qualitative in nature. In the case of the pepperweed issue in Sebastopol: What role does our consciousness play in understanding this issue? How does our perception affect the conclusions drawn about the invasiveness of the plant? From what ecological worldviews do the players in the case engage the issue? What is the validity of the field of invasion biology? What insights can be gained of the pepperweed issue in Sebastopol?
As we do live in an age of increasing extinctions and global ecological degradation, I think that the paradigms we hold individually and collectively concerning the natural, non-human world are extremely vital. I see invasion biology and the psychology and paradigms surrounding it to be an important place to look in order to explicate some of these issues - hopefully to better understand ourselves and our place on this living Earth.
I believe that my experience with observing weeds and ecology, along with my studies of consciousness and qualitative, holistic (Goethean) science, provide me with an opportunity to make a unique contribution to understanding not only of the pepperweed situation, but the field of invasion biology in general (and its ecopsycho logical implications.)
In the rest of this document I provide a description of the setting of the case, starting with the ancient history of the Laguna, then moving to more a more recent history. Next, I describe the pepperweed issue and then the pepperweed plant (Lepidiuin lalitbliuin) followed by a discussion of the field of invasion biology. After this, I provide an exploration of the players/participants in the case and their perceptions.
I then proceed to review the literature, where I situate my study in the related field of research. The subsequent section describes my methodology and analysis of the data. I then present the themes that emerged from my analysis followed by an integral perspective of the case, and finally I provide a summary and conclusion.