Dormant Ethnobotany

This dissertation introduces the applied concept of dormant ethnobotany, a concept that helps explain the socio-economic, cultural and ecological aspects and implications of the transition away from active use of ethnobotanical knowledge and the factors that may lead to its re-emergence. Dormant ethnobotany is the study of relationships between people and plants that are inactive, but nonetheless still alive in memories, the historic record, and folklore and thereby capable of reemergence in support of the transition to a more sustainable society. The dissertation extends the field of ethnobotany from its current roots, the study of dynamic ethnobotany of indigenous people, because it is a case study that takes place in a non-indigenous community located in a developed nation. A multiple methods approach was used that entailed qualitative interviews, ecological studies and triangulation in the context of a case study of the Bull Run Mountains of northern Virginiäs Piedmont Region. The research was further refined by focusing on the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s as the key transition period from dynamic to dormant ethnobotany in this geographic area.