Read complete books and articles on: Pastoralist Societies

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13 of the Best Books and Articles on: Pastoralist Societies

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

Development among Africa's Migratory Pastoralists » Read Now
by Aggrey Ayuen Majok, Calvin W. Schwabe. 290 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

Beginning with the Sahelian drought of the 1970s, through the complex succession of catastrophes in Ethiopia, and continuing tragedies of Somalia and the Southern Sudan, the plights of Africa's more than 30 million migratory pastoralists receive bursts of international television coverage and...
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Beginning with the Sahelian drought of the 1970s, through the complex succession of catastrophes in Ethiopia, and continuing tragedies of Somalia and the Southern Sudan, the plights of Africa's more than 30 million migratory pastoralists receive bursts of international television coverage and emergency aid, yet the underlying problems within their largely marginal lands remain unresolved. Virtually all past approaches and specific attempts at development among them have failed. A prominent problem has been inabilities of involved persons within diverse disciplines to communicate effectively with one another and to cooperate. In addressing this continent-wide problem, the authors adopt a practical approach and provide sufficient detail to illustrate its likelihood to achieve positive results within the severe constraints of available resources and other current realities. They propose, for the first time, meaningful and realistic possibilities for bettering the lives of these numerous peoples in ways they themselves would desire.
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2.

The Pastoral Continuum: The Marginalization of Tradition in East Africa » Read Now
by Paul Spencer. 304 pgs.

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Paul Spencer presents the definitive study of the ways of life of the cattle-herding peoples of East Africa, drawing on many years of research. This region has offered a prime example of a traditional culture resisting the inevitability of change; it provides the best-known and most extensive...
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Paul Spencer presents the definitive study of the ways of life of the cattle-herding peoples of East Africa, drawing on many years of research. This region has offered a prime example of a traditional culture resisting the inevitability of change; it provides the best-known and most extensive instance both of cattle-pastoralist society and of social organization based primarily on age. Pastoral peoples were once dominant in the East African interior, but development of the market economy has progressively polarized the region and forced them into the most marginal, drought-ridden areas; in this ecological trap they have become a peripheral underclass. The Pastoral Continuum examines the richness and resilience of their cultures and illuminates the role of indigenous practices and institutions in adaptation and survival. The pastoralists' systems of age organization in particular are notable for their resilience: it is demonstrated that these are bound up with problems of growth and succession in family enterprises, and that marriage is a critical link in the web of alliance that governs the problematic relations between old and young. Spencer's exploration of the development of the pastoralist phenomenon yields a unique view of its place in the modern world and its prospects for the future. This landmark work by a leading authority will be of lasting value to any reader interested in traditional social systems of this kind.
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3.

Greener Pastures: Politics, Markets, and Community among a Migrant Pastoral People » Read Now
by Arun Agrawal. 222 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Social scientists theorizing about political economy & the allocation of resources have usually omitted migrant communities from their studies. In Greener Pastures Arun Agrawal uses the story of the Raikas, a little-known group of migrant shepherds in western India, to reexamine current scholarship...
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Social scientists theorizing about political economy & the allocation of resources have usually omitted migrant communities from their studies. In Greener Pastures Arun Agrawal uses the story of the Raikas, a little-known group of migrant shepherds in western India, to reexamine current scholarship on markets & exchange, local & state politics, & community & hierarchy. The Raikas are virtually invisible in the regions through which they travel, as well as to the wider Indian society, yet they must operate as part of these larger spheres for their economic survival. Agrawal analyzes the institutions developed by the shepherds to solve livelihood problems. First, by focusing on the relations of the shepherds with their landholder neighbors, he explains why the shepherds migrate. He shows that struggles between these two groups led to a sociopolitical squeeze on the access of shepherds to the fodder resources they need to feed their sheep. Then, in an examination of why the shepherds migrate in groups, he demonstrates how their migratory lives depend on market exchanges & points to the social & political forces that influence prices & determine profits. Finally, he looks at decision-making processes such as division of labor & the delegation of power. Politics is ubiquitous in the interactions of the shepherds with their neighbors & with state officials, in their exchanges in markets & with farmers, & in their internal relations as a community. Interspersing the words of the Raikas themselves with a sophisticated deployment of political theory, Agrawal has produced a volume that will interest scholars in a broad range of academic disciplines, including Asian studies, political science, human ecology, anthropology, comparative politics, rural sociology, & environmental studies & policy.
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4.

Human Adaptability: An Introduction to Ecological Anthropology (Chap. 8 "Human Adaptability To Grasslands") » Read Now
by Emilio F. Moran. 446 pgs.

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Designed to help students to understand the multiple levels at which human populations respond to their surroundings, this is a study of environmental, physiological, behavioural and cultural adaptive strategies.
5.

Prospects for Pastoralism in Kazakstan and Turkmenistan: From State Farms to Private Flocks » Read Now
by Carol Kerven. 276 pgs.

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This collection traces how pastoralists have coped with the challenges of change in a part of the world with a long-tradition of livestock keeping. Their precarious position - balanced between a market system where only the fittest may survive, and their attempt to remain a human resource for the...
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This collection traces how pastoralists have coped with the challenges of change in a part of the world with a long-tradition of livestock keeping. Their precarious position - balanced between a market system where only the fittest may survive, and their attempt to remain a human resource for the future development of the natural pastures and livestock industry - is carefully and critically examined by the contributors. The pastoralists' unique skills at managing livestock in a variable and challenging environment, and their ability to supply commodities much in demand mean that an understanding of their societal position is essential for anyone interested in transition in the former Soviet Union.
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6.

Development and Local Knowledge: New Approaches to Issues in Natural Resources Management, Conservation, and Agriculture (Chap. 11 "Keeping Tradition in Good Repair: The Evolution of Indigenous Knowledge and the Dilemma of Development among Pastoralists") » Read Now
by Alan Bicker, Johan Pottier, Paul Sillitoe. 222 pgs.

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There is a revolution happening in the practice of anthropology. A new field of 'indigenous knowledge' is emerging, which aims to make local voices hear and ensure that development initiatives meet the needs of indigenous people. Development and Local Knowledge focuses on two major challenges that...
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There is a revolution happening in the practice of anthropology. A new field of 'indigenous knowledge' is emerging, which aims to make local voices hear and ensure that development initiatives meet the needs of indigenous people. Development and Local Knowledge focuses on two major challenges that arise in the discussion of indigenous knowledge - its proper definition and the methodologies appropriate to the exploitation of local knowledge. These concerns are addressed in a range of ethnographic contexts.
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7.

Producing Nature and Poverty in Africa ("Placemaking, Pastoralism, and Poverty in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania" begins on p. 148) » Read Now
by Vigdis Broch-Due, Richard A. Schroeder. 350 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
8.

Mongols, Turks, and Others: Eurasian Nomads and the Sedentary World ("Early Pastoral Societies of Northeast China: Local Change and Interregional Interaction during C. 1100-600 BCE" begins on p. 15) » Read Now
by Reuven Amitai, Michal Biran. 550 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

The interaction between the Eurasian pastoral nomads - most famously the Mongols and Turks - and the surrounding sedentary societies is a major theme in world history. Nomads were not only raiders and conquerors, but also transmitted commodities, ideas, technologies and other cultural items. At the...
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The interaction between the Eurasian pastoral nomads - most famously the Mongols and Turks - and the surrounding sedentary societies is a major theme in world history. Nomads were not only raiders and conquerors, but also transmitted commodities, ideas, technologies and other cultural items. At the same time, their sedentary neighbours affected the nomads, in such aspects as religion, technology, and political culture. The essays in this volume use a broad comparative approach that highlights the multifarious nature of nomadic society and its changing relations with the sedentary world in the vicinity of China, Russia and the Middle East, from antiquity into the contemporary world.
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9.

Whither South Asian Pastoralism? An Introduction, in Nomadic Peoples » Read Now
by Arun Agrawal, Vasant K. Saberwal. 17 pgs.

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10.

Autonomy: Life Cycle, Gender, and Status among Himalayan Pastoralists » Read Now
by Aparna Rao. 352 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...This is the first study to examine the individual-dividual debate empirically from the - emic - perspective of decision making, observed over a 2-year period among the...
11.

The Shaping of Somali Society: Reconstructing the History of a Pastoral People, 1600-1900 » Read Now
by Lee V. Cassanelli. 311 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...historical analysis in societies that are made up primarily of nomadic pastoralists. In the course of my Somali...all students of nomadic societies, was to find a unit...
12.

The Importance of Pastoralists' Indigenous Coping Strategies for Planning Drought Management in the Arid Zone of Kenya, in Nomadic Peoples » Read Now
by Gufu Oba. 30 pgs.

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13.

Politics and Gastropolitics: Gender and the Power of Food in Two African Pastoralist Societies, in Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute » Read Now
by Jon Holtzman. 20 pgs.

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...power of food in two African pastoralist societies. by Jon Holtzman...to the role of women in pastoralist societies (e.g. Ensminger 1987; Fratkin...sources on two...