Schriften zu Genetischen Ressourcen - Genres

A.SZABÓ T.
Regarding the accumulation of information in biological systems sensu lato (i.e., including
social systems), it is clear that new information is accumulated during evolution
in different, isolated self-reproducing compartments. These compartments were
regularly isolated/connected first by chemical bounds (in the RNA world), later by
membranes and cell walls (in proto-cells, cell-organs, pro- and eukaryotic monocellular
organisms), dermal structures (in multicellular organisms), complicated receptor
systems (in reproductively isolated but still hybridising species), up to different languages,
beliefs and cultures in ethnically and/or culturally isolated, but internally and
externally interacting societies.
It is worth to note here that ethnobotany is a science interested mainly not in isolation,
but in integration mechanisms acting on the top of this evolutionary process.
The essence of botany is to accumulate knowledge on plants: to describe and understand
the plant world on different sites and especially around different human societies.
The share of knowledge connected with plant use and finally with cultivation (including
the mass cultivation of bacteria, algae, fungi, etc.) was, is and will be a human
integrative issue.
The isolation mechanisms in this process, i.e., the very nature of the (relative, social)
reproductive isolation between human groups and societies are poorly understood.
The nature of ethnicity (language and culture) seems to be decisive. Recent books
and papers on the subject (GOULD 1999, GUIBERNAU and REX 1999, MANN 2001,
SMITH 1999, SOLLORS 1996, STUMPF 2001, etc.) demonstrate accordingly a raising
interest toward language and ethnicity, but there are many signs of poor understanding
(and sometimes even a lack of honesty) in the discussions. Since ethnicity
is strongly connected with lasting and deep historical traditions, the North-American
(US) model of ethnicity is a particular case not suited for generalisations. So we may
presume, for example, that the lack of traditional ethnobotanical background among
white Anglo-Saxon protestants from the USA is correlated perhaps more with misunderstanding
than with understanding of ethnic phenomena.
The content of the word “ethnicity” itself seems to be ill-defined and often erroneous
for historic reasons. This is strange, because ethnic phenomena are very influential
and important. The first World War started in part due to Austro-Hungarian lack of
ethnic empathy and understanding (1914) and this is true for the Second World War
as well (1939), not mentioning here the ethnic problems in Great Britain, the Basque
problem in France and Spain, the Hungarian problem in Central-Europe, the Balkan
conflicts (1990-), the Chechen, Afghan, Palestinian and many more cases.
Ethnically complex territories often harbour unique plant genetic resources. It is worth
to remember here that some “indicator species”, for example the cultivated Einkorn
(Triticum monococcum), are quite regularly “associated” with ethnically sensitive ar-
87