Autonomy, productiveness, and community: the rise of inequality in an Amazonian society

Abstract

In Amazonian societies, autonomy is said to be a core value motivating egalitarian politics. This article shows how the quest for autonomy and productiveness presently sets in motion processes that encroach upon these very values. Among the Shuar of Amazonian Ecuador, the realization of autonomy and productiveness increasingly depends on the capture of state resources. Shuar interact with the local state as members of relatively recent sedentary communities and through the mediation of elected leaders. In these processes, 'community' itself is transformed: being a channel to regenerate domestic livelihoods, it also becomes an end in itself, giving rise to new economistic attitudes while legitimizing inequalities between commoners and leaders. The article suggests that the pursuit of autonomy and productiveness within a process of village formation is central to the transformation of egalitarianism that occurs when small-scale Amazonian polities engage with nation-state politics.As Silverio and I left, we talked about what Tiwiram had said. Taking a more pragmatic stance, Silverio told me that Tiwiram may well see it that way but, as a leader, he is also aware that that's exactly what his fellows want. 'Shuar want projects, contracts, and public works, and this is how, as leaders, we can bring development to the communities' . Like Silverio, many Shuar are passionate about developing their villages by equipping them with roads, high schools, infirmaries, football pitches, electricity, bridges, and all the amenities of development available in big market towns. In their view, all these public works and services are means to further their own autonomy and productiveness. However, the development of villages is made possible through deals with the state which impose new forms of authority and control on Shuar villagers.Autonomy and productiveness are core values animating Shuar ideas of the good life. Autonomy means both the capacity to live with a measure of economic sufficiency and the freedom to live and work as one wishes within one's territory, without following external orders. Productiveness means fecundity and prosperity: the power or efficacy to regenerate the vital resources that allow one and one's family to live contentedly. Leaders must show commitment to local autonomy. Shuar trust that elected leaders will be able to funnel external resources so that people can live well: that is, autonomously, shaping their own livelihoods and existences while laying claim to wealth historically controlled by the apach, as Shuar call mestizo people. Leaders are expected to stake a strong claim to state resources and to redistribute them among their people while keeping the government at bay, taming its voracity, preventing it from further encroaching on native territory and undermining Shuar ways of life. To do this, leaders like Silverio spend a great deal of their time attending meetings, writing petitions, signing agreements, and negotiating deals to procure projects and state contracts. That morning in the garden,...

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