Fishing, Foraging and Farming in the Bolivian Amazon: On a Local Society in Transition

ISBN-13: 9789048134861 / Angielski / Twarda / 2009 / 249 str.

Lisa Ringhofer

Opis

Empirical in character, this book analyses the society-nature interaction of the Tsimane', a rural indigenous community in the Bolivian Amazon. Following a common methodological framework, the material and energy flow (MEFA) approach, it gives a detailed account of the biophysical exchange relations the community entertains with its natural environment: the socio-economic use of energy, materials, land and time. Equally so, the book provides a deeper insight into the local base of sociometabolic transition processes and their inherent dynamics of change. The local community described in this publication stands for the many thousands of rural systems in developing countries that, in light of an ever more globalising world, are currently steering a similar - but maybe differently-paced - development course. This book presents insightful methodological and conceptual advances in the field of sustainability science and provides a vital reader for students and researchers of human ecology, ecological anthropology, and environmental sociology. It equally contributes to improving professional development work methods.

Spis treści

Preface.- Acknowledgements .- List of Tables and Figures.- 1. Introduction: Setting the Stage.- 1.1. Introducing Society, Nature and Transitions.- 1.2. Introducing the MEFA Framework.- 1.3. Fieldwork among the Tsimane’.- 1.4. What the Book says. – References. – 2. Sustainability Transitions and the MEFA Toolkit: Concepts and Methods.- 2.1. Sociometabolic Sustainability Transitions.- 2.2.The MEFA Framework Toolkit.- References. – 3. Exploring an Indigenous World in the Bolivian Amazon: The Case of the Tsimane’.- 3.1. The Tsimane’ Habitat.- 3.2. Landscape and Cosmos: Bridging the Natural and the Cultural.- 3.3. Tsimane’ History of Contact.- 3.4. Settlement and Community Life.- References.- 4. Stocks, Flows and Land Use: The Metabolic Profile of Campo Bello. - 4.1. The Community Setting.- 4.2. The Sociometabolic Profile of Campo Bello. – References.- 5. Work, Time and Other Functions.- 5.1. Introducing and Embedding the Use of Time.- 5.2. The Collection, Coding and Classification Process.- 5.3. The Qualitative Order.- 5.4. The Quantitative Order.- 5.5. Conclusion: Discussing Opportunities and Time Squeeze.- References.- 6. Comparing Local Transitions Acroos the Developing World.- 6.1. Introducing SangSaeng, Nalang and Trinket.- 6.2. Agricultural Intensification and Sociometabolic Regime Transitions.- 6.3. Biophysical Indicators of Intensification.- 6.4. Driving Forces for Change.- 6.5. Conclusion: Lessons from Contemporary Transitions.- References.- 7. Local Visions for a Global Future.- 7.1. What have we learnt?.- References.- Index.