<i>Ayni</i> Real and Imagined: Reciprocity, Indigenous Institutions, and Development Discourses in Contemporary Bolivia

Wutich, Amber; Beresford, Melissa; Carvajal, Cinthia

doi:10.1111/jlca.12292

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…89–90). Ayni, which means reciprocity in the indigenous languages of Quechua and Aymara (Stern, 1993, p. 8), obligates community members to make a contribution of labor, or minka / mita , to their fellow community members with the expectation that that favor, in some way, will be returned (Fonseca Martel, 1974a, 1974b; Mayer, 2018; Wutich et al, 2017). Unlike communal work parties to produce public works for the community, or faenas , ayni involves a person-to-person or household-to-household exchange.…”

Section: Indigenous Communal Landholding In Perumentioning

confidence: 99%

The Representational Effects of Communal Property: Evidence from Peru’s Indigenous Groups

Carter

2021

Comparative Political Studies

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Why do some indigenous groups achieve coethnic political representation while others do not? In this paper, I highlight the primary role of communal property in shaping indigenous representation. While scholars often laud the developmental benefits of communal land titling, I argue that formalizing collectively held land can inhibit indigenous coordination to achieve political representation. Where communal land is informally held, indigenous groups are more likely to invest in traditional institutions that facilitate collective action to elect coethnic candidates to political office. Conversely, titling communal property secures indigenous land access but in the process erodes traditional institutions that would otherwise promote collective action during elections. I test my argument using a multi-method approach that includes interviews and experiments with three-hundred Peruvian indigenous leaders, historical land-title data, and information scraped from mayoral candidate CVs. The findings suggest that the oft-cited economic benefits of collective property may generate negative political effects.

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Section: Indigenous Communal Landholding In Perumentioning

confidence: 99%

The Representational Effects of Communal Property: Evidence from Peru’s Indigenous Groups

Carter

2021

Comparative Political Studies

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“…Non-monetary traditional forms of Andean labor can be divided into three general categories: ayni, mink'a, and mit'a (in Quechua), although the terms may vary regionally (Erickson, 2019;Sammells, 2019). Ayni (also written as ayniy or aini) is a more voluntary form of communal labor, especially in the context of agricultural activities, characterized by the delayed and equitable exchange of labor and goods among community members and families (Mayer, 2002;Wutich et al, 2017). Mink'a (also written as minka or minga), mingaco, or faena covers communal labor in many sectors, including agriculture, construction, and infrastructure (Erickson, 2019;Sammells, 2019).…”

Section: Dependency and Labor In The Ancient Andesmentioning

confidence: 99%

An integrative approach to ancient agricultural terraces and forms of dependency: the case of Cutamalla in the prehispanic Andes

Mader,

Godde,

Behl

et al. 2024

Front. Environ. Archaeol.

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This paper presents an integrative and interdisciplinary approach to the study of ancient agricultural terraces and food production systems. Our approach consists of (1) a resource dependency theoretical framework and (2) the application of a variety of archaeological and geoscientific methods, including archaeological and geomorphological surveys, archaeological excavations, drone surveys, mapping based on satellite imagery and high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs), geographic information system (GIS) applications, soil testing, phytolith analysis, radiocarbon dating, and calculations of food supply capacity and labor requirements. We apply these to the prehispanic site of Cutamalla (3,300 m asl) in the southern Peruvian Andes, which serves as an ideal and pioneering case study. Previous research has focused primarily on the settlement of Cutamalla, particularly through large-scale archaeological excavations, but less attention has been paid to the extensive farming terraces surrounding the settlement and the close relationship between agricultural and settlement activities. By analyzing both the terrace and settlement levels, we take a new perspective and introduce the term agricultural terrace-settlement system for such complexes. Our results show that the residential occupation of Cutamalla and the use of the surrounding farming terraces coincided: the agricultural terrace-settlement system was intensively used for a relatively short period of about 200 years (~250–40 BCE) during the Formative Late Paracas and transitional Initial Nasca periods, long before the famous Inka terrace agricultural systems. There is no evidence of reoccupation of the site and subsequent reuse of the agricultural system. Our data also document the large extent of agricultural terraces around Cutamalla (221 ha) and that maize was likely a major crop grown there. Finally, we place these findings in their broader socio-economic and ecological context. Cutamalla was an important regional center and economic hub during a very dynamic period characterized by significant population growth and increased violence. Not only a more humid climate, but probably also forced collective labor were cornerstones of substantial agricultural production in Cutamalla and the region.

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“…Narotzky (2002) señala la polisemia del concepto de reciprocidad y sugiere, en primer término, fijarse en las relaciones sociales "que sustentan flujos de transferencia sobre una moral de las obligaciones distinta de la del contrato" (p. 16). En América Latina algunos ejemplos sobre grupos indígenas que establecen intercambios recíprocos se encuentran en el buen vivir (sumak kawsay en quechua), que busca la armonía entre uno mismo, con la comunidad y con la naturaleza (Gómez, 2016;Maya, 2015), el ayni entre los aymaras es el intercambio de trabajo y de bienes (Seto, 2016;Wutich, Beresford y Carvajal, 2017). En México se habla de la mano-vuelta: en Chiapas se utiliza para la construcción de casas y para el trabajo en la milpa.…”

Section: Consideraciones Teórico-conceptualesunclassified

Artesanía textil, reciprocidad, liderazgo y reproducción social en Zinacantán, Chiapas

Borraz

Lomelí

Lugo

et al. 2021

regsoc

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Objetivo: conocer qué importancia tienen la reciprocidad y el liderazgo en la cooperativa Mujeres Sembrando la Vida, de Zinacantán, Chiapas, a partir del análisis de las estrategias de adaptación a la arena textil de estas mujeres y su incidencia en la reproducción social. Metodología: se utilizan método y técnicas cualitativas de investigación. Resultados: los grupos domésticos usan diversas facetas de reciprocidad simétrica y asimétrica y liderazgo comunitario en tres ámbitos de trabajo: grupo localizado de producción, cooperativa o proyecto asociativo y arena textil para su reproducción social. Limitaciones: las condiciones derivadas de la emergencia sanitaria debida al SARS-CoV-2 causaron la suspensión de las salidas al campo y el traslado de éste al ambiente virtual. Valor: se establece que el parentesco y el sistema de cargos son la base de las relaciones sociales, con lo cual se demuestra que las mujeres desarrollan estrategias de adaptación en el campo textil. Conclusiones: a través de la apropiación y de la resignificación de la figura de cooperativa, los grupos localizados de producción se insertan en una economía de mercado mediante una estrategia con anclaje cultural, lo que demuestra capacidad adaptativa y autogestión para garantizar su reproducción social en un entorno diverso en términos culturales, como es la arena textil.

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Ayni Real and Imagined: Reciprocity, Indigenous Institutions, and Development Discourses in Contemporary Bolivia

Cited by 5 publications

References 52 publications

The Representational Effects of Communal Property: Evidence from Peru’s Indigenous Groups

The Representational Effects of Communal Property: Evidence from Peru’s Indigenous Groups

An integrative approach to ancient agricultural terraces and forms of dependency: the case of Cutamalla in the prehispanic Andes

Artesanía textil, reciprocidad, liderazgo y reproducción social en Zinacantán, Chiapas

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