2012- 21st Annual NC State Undergraduate Research Symposium

Session Time : 4/10/12 10:30 AM - 4/10/12 11:45 AM

Content Area : Sociology & Anthropology

Poster Appointment: , -

Student Presenters :
Casey Elizabeth Collins Bioarchaeology

Mentors and/or Co-Authors :
Nora Haenn Interdisciplinary Studies

Abstract Title : Can Resilience Theory Explain Changes in Consumerism?

Abstract :
My research centers around the question, can resilience theory explain changes in consumerism? Resilience theory postulates the magnitude of disturbance that can be absorbed before a socio-ecological system is forced to restructure by changing the variables and processes that control behavior. This definition emphasizes conditions far from steady-state. Instead, in resilience theory, instabilities can flip a system from one regime of behavior into another, more stable regime. In layman's terms resilience theory is the ability of socio-ecological systems to remain functionally flexible in the face of stress and to recover following a disturbance. The data analyzed for this research explores the relationship between resilience theory and household economies, specifically the ownership of consumer items. A comparison between 2002 and 2010 shows that in the municipality of Calakmul, Mexico, households demonstrated an increased interest in consumer items, increased disposable income, incorporation into global economies (via migration), and possible increase in social stratification. Overall, the comparison shows a marked increase in consumerism in a region previously characterized by subsistence farming. The research examines these findings in light of two types of resilience, ecological resilience (as described above) and engineering, more commonly used definition. Engineering resilience is a return time to a steady-state following perturbation. The poster concludes that resilience theory is ambiguous in this case because it offers two possible interpretations; 1) Calakmul is undergoing a “state flip” and changing the existing social structures or, 2) Calakmul is passing through a “phase change” and consumerism comprises a “normal,” progressive change.