The Indians of the Paraguayan Chaco (Paperback)

John Renshaw

ISBN 10: 080328991X / ISBN 13: 9780803289918

Published by University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 2002

About this Item

Paperback. In the vast Chaco region of western Paraguay live approximately 40,000 Native people who survived Spanish colonization and today are divided into five linguistic families and thirteen ethnic groups. Despite their differences, the Chaco Indians hold many things in common: most suffer from poverty, adhere to enduring values of reciprocity and equality, and maintain a collective sense of identity. An awareness of a distinct ethnic identity is still upheld by Chaco societies despite being situated on the margins of the global economic system. Based on extensive fieldwork and ongoing contact with local indigenous organizations in Paraguay, John Renshaw presents an overview of contemporary Indian life in the Paraguayan Chaco. He describes the subsistence and market economies, household and kinship systems, political organization and mobilization, and the challenges of modern economic development. Renshaw also examines the impact of particular indigenous organizations and projects and considers whether a program of social and economic development can be formulated to address the needs of the thousands of Indians in the Chaco. Jonathan C.Renshaw is an independent consultant anthropologist who works for the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank Group. Based on extensive fieldwork and ongoing contact with local indigenous organizations in Paraguay, John Renshaw presents an overview of contemporary Indian life in the Paraguayan Chaco. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780803289918

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Indians of the Paraguayan Chaco (Paperback)
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080328991X
• ISBN 13: 9780803289918
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Some forty thousand Native people live in the vast region of the Chaco in western Paraguay. They belong to five linguistic families and thirteen ethnic groups but share a common sense of ethnic identity founded on enduring values of reciprocity and equality. At the same time the Indians of the Chaco are one of the poorest groups in Paraguay, situated on the margins of the global economic system.

Based on extensive fieldwork and ongoing contact with local indigenous organizations in Paraguay, John Renshaw presents an overview of contemporary Indian life in the Paraguayan Chaco. He describes the subsistence and market economies, household and kinship systems, political organization, and the challenges of economic development. Renshaw also examines the experiences of indigenous organizations and the impact of development projects and considers whether it is possible to envisage a program of social and economic development that would respect and strengthen the Indians' sense of identity.

About the Author

John Renshaw is an independent social anthropologist who works for the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank Group.