Panarchies of transformation and resilience: Delineating systemic change in the society, economy, and ecology of Malakand
| Published date | 01 June 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/20578911231153257 |
| Date | 01 June 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Original Research Articles |
Panarchies of transformation
and resilience: Delineating
systemic change in the
society, economy, and
ecology of Malakand
Muhammad Ayub Jan
University of Peshawar, Pakistan
Muhammad Zubair
University of Peshawar, Pakistan
Shahida Aman
University of Peshawar, Pakistan
Abstract
Malakand district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan has been going through phenom-
enal transformations in the socioeconomic, political, and ecological spheres since 1969. To under-
stand these transformations, this article employs the theories of ‘panarchy’,‘resilience’, and
‘adaptive cycles’, borrowed from the literature on socio-ecological systems and sustainability
transformation. These studies see disruptive transformation as a systemic change in the economy
and society in relation to ecology. The evidence for the article is derived from fieldwork con-
ducted by the first author during his doctoral study in 2007–2008 and later visits in September
to October 2012. The scales chosen for the analysis are local (Batkhela, Malakand) and regional
(North West of Pakistan). The article argues that theoretical constructs such as panarchy, and
adaptive cycles have explanatory value to delineate the socioeconomic, political, and ecological
transformation, in the Malakand region, over a period. The article finds out that in Malakand, smal-
ler actors at smaller scales enacted change at bigger scales of adaptive cycles. The change at a smal-
ler scale due to the emergence of Batkhela Bazaar brought changes at bigger scales in the region.
However, due to the interaction between multiple cycles at different scales, the system demon-
strated some resilience to change, consequently forging a sustainable change in the region.
Corresponding author:
Muhammad Ayub Jan, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, Pakistan.
Email: ayub@uop.edu.pk
Original Research Article
Asian Journal of Comparative Politics
2023, Vol. 8(2) 576–593
© The Author(s) 2023
Article reuse guidelines:
sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/20578911231153257
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Despite these explicit findings, we understand that interpreting theoretical constructs such as
panarchies and adaptive cycles requires more rigorous research, particularly to develop a more
precise connection between ecological change and socio-economic transformation in Malakand.
Keywords
Malakand, Pakistan, panarchies of transformation, resilience, systemic change
Introduction
Transformation and resistance in nature and human societies have recently been studied by scholars
of socio-ecological studies through integrative concepts such as that of ‘panarchies’. This concept
gives more attention to a set of processes taking place within adaptive systems at different scales
(local, regional etc.) over a certain period (years, centuries). The studies use a multidisciplinary
lens to identify systemic changes that show change and resilience at various scales (space) and
phases (time). In this way, they identify sustainability in various systems. Moreover, they see dis-
ruptive change and resistance in society, economy, and culture in relation to ecology. It is with this
understanding that the sections below explicate the case of disruptive changes in Batkhela town of
Malakand district, which are primarily in the domain of economy, society, and politics but in some
ways related to land use, geography, and habitat. With the theoretical insights provided by theories
of ‘resilience’and ‘panarchies’and the primary data collected from the field, the article draws pre-
liminary conclusions that require further probing and validation.
The question of how diverse socio-ecological systems become sustainable is addressed by scho-
lars through the identification of multiple indicators. Therefore, the claim is that the sustainability of
systems, such as social, economic, political, and ecological ones, is a complex problem that cannot
be easily addressed. However, recently scholars (Folke et al., 2010; Gunderson and Holling, 2001;
Holling, 2001; Walker et al., 2004) have adopted an integrated approach to show how sustainability
or resistance is demonstrated by diverse socioeconomic, political, and ecological systems with ana-
lytical clarity and simplicity. They have emphasized critical processes within these systems carried
out over a certain period, at diverse scales (local, regional, national etc.), consequently making them
adaptive systems. The concepts adopted are known as panarchies and adaptive cycles (Holling,
2001).
Before we see the explanatory power of the concepts of i.e. panarchy, adaptive cycles, and resili-
ence, it is pertinent to explain them briefly. ‘Panarchy’is the combination of two words, ‘pan’
which is the name of a Greek god who personifies unpredictable change, and ‘archy’which is
derived from the word ‘hierarchy’(Holling, 2001: 396). The concept refers to the nested set of
adaptive cycles at different scales. Socio-ecological systems are constituted of panarchies, which
are nested sets of adaptive cycles interacting across multiple scales (Gotts, 2007; Walker et al.,
2004).
Therefore, Walker explains that panarchies are hierarchical structures in which systems of
humans and nature are connected in never-ending adaptive cycles of growth (r), accumulation
(k), restructuring (Ω), and renewal (α). These cycles take place in an assemblage of scales (local,
regional) over a certain period (years, centuries). By understanding these adaptive cycles, one
can understand if and how a system is sustainable, as well as where it is vulnerable and where
Jan et al. 577
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