Background: Dr Simon Platten received his PhD from University of Kent. He also holds an MSc in Environmental Anthropology from the same. Originally from Cornwall, he maintains strong links with the area. He continues to be involved in collaborations between the Eden Project in Cornwall and the School of Anthropology and Conservation here at Kent.
Research interests: Simon’s PhD research concerned the social dynamics of small-scale cultivation in the mountains and upland plateau of Minahasa, Indonesia. This focussed upon planting patterns and the interface between moral and market economies.
In the UK he maintains a research interest in small-scale cultivation. Most recently he has been developing research with local allotment holders in Kent. He is interested in at patterns of germplasm exchange, the maintenance of landrace diversity, and the impact of homegardens upon household economy.
Teaching interests: Environmental Anthropology, Small-scale cultivation, Homegardens and Homegardening, Human ecology, Computing (for Anthropologists), and Social Anthropology.
Recent Publications
Henfrey, T. & S. Platten (2006) On cultural keystone complexes and their implications for system function. in Cybernetics and Systems 2006: The Proceedings of the 18th European Meeting on Cybernetics and System research. Austrian Society for Cybernetic studies, Vienna.
Platten, S. Carrots and clove: Traditional change in upland Minahasan agriculture. in Ellen (Ed.) Traditional Ecological Knowledge and modern crises in island Southeast Asia. Bergahan. (in press)
Recent Presentations
On cultural keystone complexes and their implications for system function (with T. Henfrey) Presented at 18th European Meeting on Cybernetics and System research, Cultural Systems panel. April 2006
How to grow a carrot: Origins of Market Gardening Techniques in Minahasa, Eastern Indonesia. Presented at the 4th International Congress of Ethnobotany, panel 11 Transmission, contact, and exchange of Plant Resources and Knowledge between regions: Historical and Contemporary approaches. August 2005.
Carrots and clove: Traditional change in upland Minahasan agriculture. Presented at the 9th International Congress of Ethnobiology, panel 7 'Traditional ecological knowledge and coping strategies in island Southeast Asia' 2004.
Leverhulme Research Fellow
