Post-conventional anthropology: A paradigm for cultivating pluralism and confidence in uncertainty

Abstract

This article details an encounter of anthropological instruction on cross-cultural perceptions of the environment and cultural heritage which was provided to lawyers, environmental scientists, and environmental engineers regulating offshore oil and gas ventures. Shaped as a rapid organizational ethnography, my task was to inspire unknowing and release the grip on epistemic certainty. Operating within a contentious space, regulatory decision-making on the risks that oil and gas ventures pose to Indigenous peoples’ heritage is a concern which keeps this regulatory body in a state of organizational and directive anguish. By sharing anthropological insights on ways of knowing, plurality, ethics, and care, configured cross-culturally, the aim was to alleviate their concerns and open pathways toward better informed decision-making. The event took shape as an exercise in post-conventional anthropology, in which the post-conventional is distinguished as going beyond normative practice and aligning with a broader social contract. That social contract is progressing non-Indigenous ethical engagements with Indigenous knowledges.