Overview

Unlike better-known regions of the Amazon, Guayana—a broad cultural region that includes the countries of Guyana, Surinam, and French Guiana, as well as parts of eastern Venezuela and northern Brazil—has rarely been integrated into the broader narratives of South American anthropology and history. Nevertheless, Guayana provides a unique historical context for the persistence and survival of native peoples distinct from the histories reflected by the intense colonial competition in the region over the past five hundred years. This is an important collection that brings together the work of scholars from North America, South America, and Europe to reveal the anthropological significance of Guayana, the ancient realm of El Dorado and still the scene of gold and diamond mining. Beginning with the earliest civilizations of the region, the chapters focus on the historical ecology of the rain forest and the archaeological record up to the sixteenth century, as well as ethnography, ethnology, and perceptions of space. Contributions analyse the emergence of a postcolonial national society, the contrasts between the coastlands and upland regions, and the significance of race and violence in contemporary politics.

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9780816533619

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The authors of this volume develop new theoretical tools by which to better understand Guayana on its own terms. The book also shows that careful ethnographic analysis of Guayana helps us to better understand the complexity of the larger Amazonian system. Michael Uzendoski, author of <i>The Napo Runa of Amazonian Ecuador</i>

""This is a stimulating and necessary book exploring an important geo-historico-cultural region from a multidisciplinary perspective.""--Fernando Santos-Granero, author of Vital Enemies: Slavery, Predation, and the Amerindian Political Economy of Life ""The authors of this volume develop new theoretical tools by which to better understand Guayana on its own terms. The book also shows that careful ethnographic analysis of Guayana helps us to better understand the complexity of the larger Amazonian system.""--Michael Uzendoski, author of The Napo Runa of Amazonian Ecuador

This is a stimulating and necessary book exploring an important geo-historico-cultural region from a multidisciplinary perspective. --Fernando Santos-Granero, author of Vital Enemies: Slavery, Predation, and the Amerindian Political Economy of Life The authors of this volume develop new theoretical tools by which to better understand Guayana on its own terms. The book also shows that careful ethnographic analysis of Guayana helps us to better understand the complexity of the larger Amazonian system. --Michael Uzendoski, author of The Napo Runa of Amazonian Ecuador

Author Information

Neil L. Whitehead is a professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the author of Dark Shamans: Kanaimà and the Poetics of Violent Death. Stephanie W. Alemán is an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

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