- Indigenous peoples of Latin America, Indigenous Peoples Rights, Urban Anthropology, Antiglobalization Social Movements, Latin American social movements, Oral history, and 7 moreDevelopment Studies, Ethnography, Latin American Studies, Social Movements, International Political Economy, Political Ontology, and Paraguayedit
- I am Full Professor of Social Anthropology at Ca' Foscari University in Venice, where I lead the ERC project "COWDOM.... moreI am Full Professor of Social Anthropology at Ca' Foscari University in Venice, where I lead the ERC project "COWDOM. Between Domestication and Ferality:
Cattle-Human Relationships in the Making of Post-colonial South-
American Society". My research topics include environmental history and its frictions, indigenous people and the State in Paraguay, inter-species ethnography, the use of audio-visual mediums as research tools and collaborative processes between anthropology, contemporary art and urban design.edit
In the Paraguayan Chaco, cattle evoke images of power, prosperity, and celebration, but they also trigger one of the quickest deforestation processes in the world. The presence of cattle in the region has deep historical roots, dating... more
In the Paraguayan Chaco, cattle evoke images of power, prosperity, and celebration, but they also trigger one of the quickest deforestation processes in the world. The presence of cattle in the region has deep historical roots, dating back to the beginning of the colonization process, when the establishment of a double economy based on cattle ranching and the tannin industry dispossessed indigenous people of their territories. Through a historical and ethnographic analysis of the Carlos Casado tannin company, I suggest considering domestication and ferality—and their local related idioms (amansar, anestesiar, sagua’a, señuelo, carne)—as inter-species categories crucial for understanding processes of colonization from a local perspective. In particular, I claim that practices and idioms related to the (un)domestication domain have been used to make sense of ethnic, class, and power relationships, as well as of practices of resistance.
Research Interests:
This article narrates the history of the Salesian mission of Puerto Casado in the Paraguayan Chaco, from its foundation in the 1920s to the end of the century, by following the life story of René Ramírez, a Maskoy representative and one... more
This article narrates the history of the Salesian mission of Puerto Casado in the Paraguayan Chaco, from its foundation in the 1920s to the end of the century, by following the life story of René Ramírez, a Maskoy representative and one of the most relevant Paraguayan indigenous leaders of the last decades. In particular, it focuses on how Ramírez emerged as a leader, how he successively negotiated his political power within the mission, and how he finally decided to break his alliance with the church in order to be able to forge a space of political autonomy on the same level as non-indigenous people. Through this specific case study, the article also shows how the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and the Barbados Symposium of 1971 implied a fundamental change of direction for the Catholic missionaries in Paraguay in their way of relating to indigenous communities, leading to important struggles and alliances at a local level.
Research Interests:
In this article I aim at questioning the modalities through which international cooperation is promoting the creation of indigenous organisations in Paraguay by reinforcing specific notions of what is political and what is not, and in... more
In this article I aim at questioning the modalities through which international cooperation is promoting the creation of indigenous organisations in Paraguay by reinforcing specific notions of what is political and what is not, and in particular by abiding by the nature-culture divide. In particular, I argue that it ends up ignoring a variety of indigenous political practices by labelling them as ‘religious’ or not recognising them at all.
Research Interests:
The defence of indigenous rights in Latin America has often benefited from an alliance between indigenous and nonindigenous sectors of the population. However, the narra- tives of these struggles have often been shaped by the assump-... more
The defence of indigenous rights in Latin America has often benefited from an alliance between indigenous and nonindigenous sectors of the population. However, the narra- tives of these struggles have often been shaped by the assump- tions of nonindigenous commentators. In this article I confront different public transcripts of the Paraguayan Maskoy strug- gle for land in the 1980s. Drawing on the emergent framework of ‘‘political ontology,’’ I argue that the ontological categories sustaining modern political narratives inhibited the inclusion of the Maskoy political practices in the public transcripts of the land claim process, and that the acknowledgement of these practices could encourage more inclusive forms of collaboration.
Research Interests:
El presente articulo se propone analizar la articulacion entre el pueblo Maskoy y algunas de las instituciones que en algun momento se cruzaron con ellos en epoca de las empresas tanineras, hasta llegar a la situacion actual. En... more
El presente articulo se propone analizar la articulacion entre el pueblo Maskoy y algunas de las instituciones que en algun momento se cruzaron con ellos en epoca de las empresas tanineras, hasta llegar a la situacion actual. En particular, se cuestiona la vision del pueblo Maskoy como un pueblo “que perdio su cultura”, o peor todavia - un juicio formulado por algunos exponentes de la sociedad blanca - “un pueblo sin identidad”, por el simple hecho de vestirse como los blancos y trabajar entre ellos. Este juicio, fundado en la percepcion visiva del otro, se inscribe en una trayectoria de privilegio de la vista como fundamento de la verdad que ha sido analizado por varios antropologos [Poole 2005, Fabian 1989, Levin 2001]. La esencializacion del concepto de “cultura” indigena, entendido como un paquete que incluye el habla de idioma original, los bailes tradicionales y la caza-recoleccion como actividad de subsistencia, es quizas la herencia de una interpretacion superficial de los e...
The article argues in favour of an apparently simple statement: that it is not the same to do research with or without a video-camera. Drawing on the anthropologist’s research fieldwork in Paraguay, it shows the impact in the use of a... more
The article argues in favour of an apparently simple statement: that it is not
the same to do research with or without a video-camera. Drawing on the anthropologist’s
research fieldwork in Paraguay, it shows the impact in the use of a video camera in
determining the contents and directions of the research, besides having an influence on
the kind of collaboration that emerged between the anthropologist and the Maskoy
indigenous people. Finally, it argues that in order to fully understand the role of the
video-camera in the research, the camera has to be considered as an additional subject
(or actant) and not merely as an object.
the same to do research with or without a video-camera. Drawing on the anthropologist’s
research fieldwork in Paraguay, it shows the impact in the use of a video camera in
determining the contents and directions of the research, besides having an influence on
the kind of collaboration that emerged between the anthropologist and the Maskoy
indigenous people. Finally, it argues that in order to fully understand the role of the
video-camera in the research, the camera has to be considered as an additional subject
(or actant) and not merely as an object.
Research Interests:
The taking up of football and volleyball by indigenous Amerindian groups has commonly been the non-indigenous population as a symptom of loss of identity. Analysing the case of the in Paraguay, this essay prefers to interpret the adoption... more
The taking up of football and volleyball by indigenous Amerindian groups has commonly been the non-indigenous population as a symptom of loss of identity. Analysing the case of the in Paraguay, this essay prefers to interpret the adoption of these sports not as a break with the development of earlier practices, such as ritual dressing-up and gambling. In her analysis of the indigenous society has historically interacted with its non-indigenous equivalent, the author an investigation of categories such as "mimetism" and "syncretism" - in her opinion antithetical used to describe the structure of colonial relationships in Latin America.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Nel 1996, gli accordi di pace segnano la fine di una guerra civile in Guatemala durata piu' di un decennio. Questo articolo si basa sulle testimonianze raccolte da donne Ixil ex-combattenti per mostrare le ragioni complesse della loro... more
Nel 1996, gli accordi di pace segnano la fine di una guerra civile in Guatemala durata piu' di un decennio. Questo articolo si basa sulle testimonianze raccolte da donne Ixil ex-combattenti per mostrare le ragioni complesse della loro partecipazione attiva nella guerriglia e come questa abbia rappresentato per loro un momento di riscatto su numerosi fronti.
Research Interests:
Las llamadas «tierras bajas» sudamericanas permanecieron relativamente marginales a la órbita del mercado global hasta finales del siglo XIX, cuando industrias como el caucho, la madera, el azúcar o la yerba mate las articularon con un... more
Las llamadas «tierras bajas» sudamericanas permanecieron relativamente marginales a la órbita del mercado global hasta finales del siglo XIX, cuando industrias como el caucho, la madera, el azúcar o la yerba mate las articularon con un capitalismo tecnificado de corte netamente extractivista. Tal incorporación fue de la mano de la colonización del territorio indígena, de la consolidación de las fronteras de los nuevos Estados-nacionales y de diversas oleadas misioneras dedicadas a la evangelización y «civilización» de la población autóctona. En este contexto las máquinas, así como también las técnicas y saberes que ellas implican, se presentan como vector fundamental para el desarrollo del capital extractivo, y constituyen un dispositivo mediador para articular al capital extractivista con los estados neocoloniales, los diversos proyectos misioneros y las sociedades indígenas que hasta entonces habían mantenido autónomas de la sociedad externa.
Si la acción misionera contribuyó a modelar territorios, fronteras étnicas, estructuras económicas o afiliaciones políticas, estos procesos giraron en torno de un dispositivo material fuertemente mediado por la acción mecánica. ¿Cuáles fueron entonces las máquinas de la misión? ¿Qué repercusiones tuvieron sobre las técnicas productivas locales, la organización del trabajo, la construcción de los géneros y las relaciones sociales, las concepciones más abstractas del espacio, el tiempo y la causalidad, e incluso sobre las propias sensibilidades y estéticas nativas? ¿Y qué sucedió con esas máquinas, herramientas y conocimientos cuando, por diversas razones, los misioneros se replegaron o se retiraron de los territorios indígenas?
Si la acción misionera contribuyó a modelar territorios, fronteras étnicas, estructuras económicas o afiliaciones políticas, estos procesos giraron en torno de un dispositivo material fuertemente mediado por la acción mecánica. ¿Cuáles fueron entonces las máquinas de la misión? ¿Qué repercusiones tuvieron sobre las técnicas productivas locales, la organización del trabajo, la construcción de los géneros y las relaciones sociales, las concepciones más abstractas del espacio, el tiempo y la causalidad, e incluso sobre las propias sensibilidades y estéticas nativas? ¿Y qué sucedió con esas máquinas, herramientas y conocimientos cuando, por diversas razones, los misioneros se replegaron o se retiraron de los territorios indígenas?
Research Interests:
Per quasi esattamente cento anni, dal 1889 al 1996, diverse generazioni di individui appartenenti ad etnie indigene del Chaco paraguaiano hanno lavorato come manodopera nella fabbrica di tannino dell’impresa Carlos Casado S.A. Partendo... more
Per quasi esattamente cento anni, dal 1889 al 1996, diverse generazioni di individui appartenenti ad etnie indigene del Chaco paraguaiano hanno lavorato come
manodopera nella fabbrica di tannino dell’impresa Carlos Casado S.A. Partendo dall’osservazione attuale delle relazioni inter-etniche nella fabbrica di Puerto Casado,
questo saggio si propone di analizzare se sia esistita una modalità specificatamente indigena – distinta da quella dei non-indigeni – di relazionarsi al lavoro in fabbrica. Per rispondere a questa domanda mi servirò di appunti etnografici e di interviste realizzate tra il 2016 e il 2017 ad ex-lavoratori indigeni e non-indigeni.
Servendomi di questo sguardo incrociato mi propongo di mostrare come la salvaguardia dell’autonomia della persona e il rifiuto della “domesticazione” abbiano caratterizzato fino alla chiusura definitiva dell’attività commerciale della Casado S.A., nell’anno 2000, l’atteggiamento indigeno Maskoy al lavoro in fabbrica.
manodopera nella fabbrica di tannino dell’impresa Carlos Casado S.A. Partendo dall’osservazione attuale delle relazioni inter-etniche nella fabbrica di Puerto Casado,
questo saggio si propone di analizzare se sia esistita una modalità specificatamente indigena – distinta da quella dei non-indigeni – di relazionarsi al lavoro in fabbrica. Per rispondere a questa domanda mi servirò di appunti etnografici e di interviste realizzate tra il 2016 e il 2017 ad ex-lavoratori indigeni e non-indigeni.
Servendomi di questo sguardo incrociato mi propongo di mostrare come la salvaguardia dell’autonomia della persona e il rifiuto della “domesticazione” abbiano caratterizzato fino alla chiusura definitiva dell’attività commerciale della Casado S.A., nell’anno 2000, l’atteggiamento indigeno Maskoy al lavoro in fabbrica.
Research Interests:
Los límites del territorio evocado en este libro coinciden, a grandes rasgos, con el área geográfica de casi seis millones de hectáreas bautizada en 1889 por Carlos Casado del Alisal con el nombre de Nueva España. Esos límites son el... more
Los límites del territorio evocado en este libro coinciden, a grandes rasgos, con el área geográfica de casi seis millones de hectáreas bautizada en 1889 por Carlos Casado del Alisal con el nombre de Nueva España. Esos límites son el resultado de diferentes eventos históricos: las deudas relacionadas al capital financiero global, la privatización de las tierras fiscales, la ambición de un hombre amparado por la ideología del desarrollo, y dos guerras y una revolución. Pero también lo constituyen alianzas entre distintos seres, unos más visibles que otros, y las huellas y los sedimentos dejados por sus habitantes. El cuerpo de este libro está conformado por las entrevistas a 68 ex-trabajadores y habitantes de la zona recogidas en Puerto Casado, Filadelfia y Asunción entre Junio de 2015 y Agosto de 2016; por las notas de campo recogidas a partir del año 2002, por algunos manuscritos de Don Eugenio Hermosa y por algunos documentos recogidos en el año 2008 en la ex-fábrica taninera de Puerto Casado, en aquellos años administrada por algunos de sus antiguos trabajadores.
Research Interests:
In this article, we will focus on cattle-human relations in the colonisation of two different but connected regions of the Paraguayan Chaco: the Puerto Casado territory and the Mennonite colonies. In particular, we aim at showing how... more
In this article, we will focus on cattle-human relations in the colonisation of two different but connected regions of the Paraguayan Chaco: the Puerto Casado territory and the Mennonite colonies. In particular, we aim at showing how colonisation unfolds through multiple, unpredictable encounters, or what Tsing also calls “contingent lineages”. As these provisional encounters ‘take hold’ through time, they give birth to different worlds and bring different beings into existence. Building on Anna Tsing’s recent work, we trace the historical evolution of these “vulnerable” and “shifting assemblages” of both humans – with their material and financial technologies – and non-human (animals/cows/grasses). In so doing, we propose that colonisation – the “becoming-necessary” of these aleatory encounters, as Louis Althusser puts it –, rather than a fact accomplished once and for all, is constantly (re-)produced through an incessant flux of “precarious combinations”.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Recherche sur la relation entre le systeme energetique et la forme de la ville et du territoire, a partir de deux cas d’etude : l’aire metropolitaine du Grand Paris et la Venetie.