Forests of Belonging: Identities, Ethnicities, and Stereotypes in the Congo River Basin Contributor(s): Rupp, Stephanie Karin (Author), Sivaramakrishnan, K. (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0295991062 ISBN-13: 9780295991061 Publisher: University of Washington Press OUR PRICE: $30.40 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: July 2011 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Anthropology - Cultural & Social - History | Africa - West - Nature | Environmental Conservation & Protection - General |
Dewey: 302.4 |
LCCN: 2011003506 |
Series: Culture, Place, and Nature: Studies in Anthropology and Environment |
Physical Information: 1" H x 6" W x 8.9" (1.15 lbs) 304 pages |
Themes: - Cultural Region - Central Africa - Ethnic Orientation - African |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: Forests of Belonging examines the history and ongoing transformation of ethnic and social relationships among four distinct communities--Bangando, Baka, Bakw le, and Mbomam--in the Lob k 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. |