Processes of spatial mobility among the Mbya are of interest in anthropological and ethnobiological studies, as these processes are related to transformations in the landscape and the environment. Despite this, ethnographic literature usually focuses itself on the mobility of Guaraní communities from the perspective of population dynamics on a regional scale.Our research among two Mbya-Guaraní communities in the Argentinean province of Misiones has enabled us to recognize patterns of mobility on a micro-scale. Certainly, the mobility of adult members of these communities as they perform hunting and gathering activities delimit spaces of individual use. We consider the different pathways as "signatures in landscape", resulting from processes of spatial mobility inherent to those activities Taking into account the gathering and circulation of medicinal plants for treatment of gastrointestinal illnesses, we have been able to identify different pathways inherent in their search, towards the monte or other spaces away from de settlement. The design and construction of the pathways is determined by the specific personal knowledge of individuals who search for these valuable resources.Using both strategies of direct observation -as members of the community manipulate different resources during these search and gathering trips -and interviews, we have been able to gather and interpret significant information on the strategies used by the Mbya to domesticate the monte areas.As a consequence of our approach we suggest that the landscape design resulting from these trips should not be considered a consensual or collective strategy of the whole community; it is rather the result of the daily strategies of individuals, which involves the selection of resources mainly based on each individual's knowledge and interests.
This article analyzes the role of children's social environment in shaping children's emotional expressions. It is based on the findings of an ongoing research study interrogating childrearing practices in two rural populations representing two contrasting ecological contexts in Argentina: Mbya Guarani indigenous communities located in the northeast rainforest (Misiones Province) and creole communities from Molinos (Salta Province), in the highlands and semiarid areas of Argentinean northwest. The focus of this article is on the ways in which adults interpret and respond to children's crying as one manifestation of emotional behavior. This article attempts a comparative analysis of representations, attitudes and behaviors regarding children's crying. It is stressed how discourses of childhood validate some expressions of emotion and restrict and pathologize others. On one hand, parents from both populations not only differ in their tolerance of children's crying but also differ in their evaluation of the difficulties of rearing 'weeping' children. On the other hand, in both populations excessive senseless crying represents a risk for children's health as it is considered a symptom of several illnesses. Based on these considerations, at the end of this article each population's ethnotheories of children's appropriate emotional behavior is analyzed, and the implications of these ethnotheories for emotion socialization.
En las últimas décadas, ha habido un progreso sustancial en el estudio del Desarrollo Infantil Temprano (DIT) desde perspectivas interdisciplinarias e transculturales. Varios autores reconocen la contribución de la antropología al debate sobre la primera infancia, en diálogo con la psicología, las neurociencias, la educación y la medicina. Estos estudios subrayan la importancia de los contextos ecológicos en lo que se refi ere al crecimiento físico, las trayectorias de desarrollo y los efectos sobre la salud a mediano y largo plazo. La Antropología hace hincapié en la noción de que el desarrollo de los niños depende de las interacciones que éstos entablan con su entorno inmediato y las actividades en las que participan. La importancia dada al ambiente desde una perspectiva ecológica reconoce el valor heurístico de los estudios etnográfi cos. En este trabajo caracterizamos, algunos ejes y modos de abordaje que se destacan en la producción etnográfi ca sobre infancia y desarrollo infantil en Latinoamérica, especialmente, sobre comunidades indígenas. En segundo lugar, analizamos y discutimos las posibilidades de interface entre la etnografía y las disciplinas que tradicionalmente se han ocupado del desarrollo infantil y refl exionamos sobre sus contribuciones en términos metodológicos a la comprensión de un proceso de carácter multidimensional, evitando los reduccionismos propios de cada mirada disciplinar. En relación a ello, discutimos los desafíos que la etnografía presenta en el contexto de la investigación inter y transdisciplinaria del DIT. Para concluir, reflexionamos sobre la necesidad de recuperar el DIT como objeto de estudio etnográfi co, como lo fue en los inicios de la disciplina.
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