Rainforest cowboys : the rise of ranching and cattle culture in western Amazonia / Jeffrey Hoelle.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hoelle, Jeffrey, 1976- author.

Series:

Latin American and Caribbean Arts and Culture Publication Initiative

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Beef cattle--Environmental aspects--Brazil--Acre.

Beef cattle.

Ranching--Environmental aspects--Brazil--Acre.

Ranching.

Deforestation--Brazil--Acre.

Deforestation.

Human ecology--Brazil--Acre.

Human ecology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (213 p.)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Austin, Texas : University of Texas Press, 2015.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

The opening of the Amazon to colonization in the 1970s brought cattle, land conflict, and widespread deforestation. In the remote state of Acre, Brazil, rubber tappers fought against migrant ranchers to preserve the forest they relied on, and in the process, these “forest guardians” showed the world that it was possible to unite forest livelihoods and environmental preservation. Nowadays, many rubber tappers and their children are turning away from the forest-based lifestyle they once sought to protect and are becoming cattle-raisers or even caubois (cowboys). Rainforest Cowboys is the first book to examine the social and cultural forces driving the expansion of Amazonian cattle raising in all of their complexity. Drawing on eighteen months of fieldwork, Jeffrey Hoelle shows how cattle raising is about much more than beef production or deforestation in Acre, even among “carnivorous” environmentalists, vilified ranchers, and urbanites with no land or cattle. He contextualizes the rise of ranching in relation to political economic structures and broader meanings to understand the spread of “cattle culture.” This cattle-centered vision of rural life builds on local experiences and influences from across the Americas and even resembles East African cultural practices. Written in a broadly accessible and interdisciplinary style, Rainforest Cowboys is essential reading for a global audience interested in understanding the economic and cultural features of cattle raising, deforestation, and the continuing tensions between conservation and development in the Amazon.

Contents:

List of illustrations

List of tables

Acknowledgments

The journey to acre

The expansion of cattle raising in acre

Ruminations on cattle economies and cattle cultures

Ideologies of nature and humanenvironment interactions

The ranchers: smooth hands, progress, and production

The city and the contri

Heres the beef: symbol, sustenance, and hamburger connections

Rubber-tapper and colonist transitions : environment, practice, and identity

The appropriation of cattle culture : perceptions, behaviors, and methodological considerations

The full picture

Appendix A. Social groups and research area

Appendix B. Methods and data

Appendix C. Levels of agreement among social groups

Notes

Works cited

Index.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-292-76815-X

OCLC:

899987473