Forests of belonging : identities, ethnicities, and stereotypes in the Congo River basin / Stephanie Rupp.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rupp, Stephanie.

Series:

Culture, place, and nature.

Culture, place, and nature : studies in anthropology and environment

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Group identity--Cameroon.

Group identity.

Group identity--Congo River Valley.

Stereotypes (Social psychology)--Cameroon.

Stereotypes (Social psychology).

Stereotypes (Social psychology)--Congo River Valley.

Ethnicity--Cameroon.

Ethnicity.

Ethnicity--Congo River Valley.

Cameroon--Ethnic relations.

Cameroon.

Congo River Valley--Ethnic relations.

Congo River Valley.

Physical Description:

xiii, 306 p. : ill., maps.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Seattle : University of Washington Press, c2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Forests of Belonging examines the history and ongoing transformation of ethnic and social relationships among four distinct communities--Bangando, Baka, Bakwéle, and Mbomam--in the Lobéké forest region of southeastern Cameroon. By slotting forest communities into ecological categories such as "hunters" and "gatherers," previous analyses of social relationships in tropical forests have resulted in binary frameworks that render real-life relationships invisible and that have perpetuated correspondingly misleading labels, such as "pygmy." Through rich descriptive detail resulting from field work among the Bangando, Stephanie Rupp illustrates the complexity of social ties among groups and individuals, and their connections with the natural world. She demonstrates that social and ethno-ecological relations in equatorial African forests are nuanced, contested, and shifting, and that the intricacy of these links must be considered in the design and implementation of aid policies and strategies for conservation and development.

Contents:

Paradigms : the forest and its peoples

Belonging : ethnic affiliations and confluences

Spaces : beyond nature and culture

Ambiguities : interethnic marriage and descent

Tangles : parallel clans, alliances, rituals, and collective work

Identities : people in changing contexts

Contradictions : identities, opportunities, and conflicts

Rethinking : stereotypes, ethnic affiliations, and social identities.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 283-293) and index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN:

9780295803029

0295803029

OCLC:

793207969