Culture-Nature Dualism: A Strong Dichotomy or Coming Closer in Harmony? A case study on nature conservation and recreation in Tholen
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2024-09-23
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nl
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The human-nature dichotomy is deeply embedded in Western society. Focusing on nature reserves in the Dutch municipality of Tholen, this thesis explores and questions how this dualism shapes nature preservation and recreation in the Netherlands. Bringing together literature in environmental philosophy and political ecology, this study shows how a focus on the paradigm of the human-nature dichotomy can help us to understand how embedded power structures within this dichotomy still influence Western attitudes towards nature today. Through semi-structured interviews and a survey, I researched the position of nature among nature preservation managers and visitors of nature reserves, and investigated where nature currently stands in society. Whereas there has been done research to human attitudes towards nature, this thesis differs from other studies as it mainly takes a qualitative approach and combines attitudes of nature reserve managers and visitors which are put in the wider historical context of the philosophical and historical dualism of humans and nature. I doing so, I challenge the idea that recreation and conservation are mutually exclusive and only perpetuate this dichotomy. Instead, this study argues that nature recreation and nature conservation together can strengthen the relationship between people and nature
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen