Ecology and Exchange in the Andes (Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology, Series Number 41)

For centuries Andean civilization and ecology has afforded a special fascination for European travellers and officials. In this volume, eight writers - anthropologists, economists and historians working in Bolivia, Britain, France, Ireland and Peru - describe and analyse aspects of rural society in various Andean regions. They focus on the impact of capitalist development on both the peasant economy and the landed elite in the Andes and the ways in which that impact has been shaped by a specific Andean culture and a characteristic Andean ecology and climate. Their discussion of Andean specificity centres on the notion of verticality, first developed by John Murra to describe political and economic adaptation to climatic variation in the Andean eco-system. The volume represents a substantial contribution to our understanding of Andean rural society and the nature of the Latin American peasantry and peasant economy. It will appeal to all those interested in economic anthropology, Latin America, peasant studies and the capitalist world-economy. Review of the peasant farmer agricultural economy of the Andean Region, partic. Market economy penetration and capitalism - analyses the social and cultural anthropology, rural sociology, ecology, climate, etc.; examines the role of "ayllu" rural communitys in subsistence farming, agricultural production and agricultural employment in Northern Bolivia, particularities of Andean economic systems and resistance to capitalism; discusses land ownership and feudalism in the Tarma mountain province in Southern Peru. Glossary, map, references Edited By David Lehmann. Includes Indexes. Bibliography: P. 236-242.