This chapter examines the changing nature of gardening activities in a Bamana community in rural ... more This chapter examines the changing nature of gardening activities in a Bamana community in rural Mali. Using ethnographic field data collected between 1991 and 1998, it describes the transformation of gardening from a production-for-use activity associated with women to a ...
In the last several decades, archaeological research has provided an increasingly more detailed s... more In the last several decades, archaeological research has provided an increasingly more detailed scientific perspective on the "agricultural revolution" that occurred on the West African savanna, notably within the contemporary Mande cultural zone. This scholarship offers a complementary perspective to long-standing local narratives of the rise of agriculture in the region and a more robust, evidence-based portrait of agricultural innovation celebrated by previous influential scholars, albeit based on rather limited data. A common theme of creativity connects all of these perspectives; they converge on the "slow" yet "revolutionary" character of the shift to agriculture in the region, beginning with the use of wild plants and moving then to the cultivation of domesticated crops. I examine archaeological and historical research in order to extend my previous analysis of the agricultural creativity of the rural peoples of the Mande region into the past. This article aims to show the deep roots and innovative nature of contemporary agrarian life, to explore its connection with other agrarian "revolutions," and to use a case from the Global South to enrich our understanding of the Slow Food Movement.
foundational observations, arguments and propositions on the revolutionary nature of farming (Gre... more foundational observations, arguments and propositions on the revolutionary nature of farming (Greene 1999; Sherratt 1989; Smith 2009). Over the intervening decades as new archaeological evidence has emerged around the world there have been many additions and refinements to his original portrait of ‘Agricultural Revolution,’ with new sites of crop domestication identified and new developmental sequences for food production and culture change becoming apparent. Generations of historians have also highlighted the ‘revolutionary’ nature of agriculture. After identifying the shift to ‘Grand carnivorism’ (the hunting of large animals at the end of the Paleolithic) as the first ancient ‘revolution’ in the human diet, the noted French historian Fernand Braudel suggested that, ‘The second revolution, in the seventh or sixth millennium before the Christian era, was Neolithic agriculture with arrival of cultivated cereals. Now fields were cultivated, at the expense of huntingground and extensi...
better-known artists, [and] there is a world of gray in between, a space in which talented 'craft... more better-known artists, [and] there is a world of gray in between, a space in which talented 'craftsmen' produce work apparently indistinguishable from the established artists who have...themselves turned to mass producing highly commercialized works of art. [A]ll these sculptors have refined their techniques to a point where they are able to consistently produce aesthetically pleasing and highly marketable forms." Much of the stone sculpture on exhibition appears to fall into the gray zone Zilberg describes. For McEwen, a doctrine he termed "Perof the people of Kirango and neighboring communities with honesty and humility. Her words serve them well. C] atrican arts ? spring
As part of an ongoing process of socioeconomic transformation, commodity production is steadily b... more As part of an ongoing process of socioeconomic transformation, commodity production is steadily becoming more common throughout rural Africa. However, research from a wide range of social and geographic settings indicates that factors such as ethnicity, class, age, and gender often play important roles in shaping specific patterns of participation in market production. This paper explores the relationship between gender and commodity production in central Mali. Drawing on the findings of a 14-month ethnographic study (1992-1994), I describe production dynamics in a rural Bamana farming community, paying particular attention to the organization of commercial activities. I use the gender relations of production framework to highlight the differential participation of men and women in commercial gardening activities. I argue that dominant Bamana social and cultural patterns lead to a gender-biased system of access to commercially viable productive resources, and I discuss the implications of these findings in terms of men's and women's economic standing and relative social power in their home communities and domestic groups. By providing a detailed study of gender relations in this setting, I aim to improve our understanding of the gendered nature of agricultural production in this region and our understanding of differential response to commercial agricultural opportunities in rural Africa at large.
‘This is a very important book. Taken together, the collected papers present a rich picture of th... more ‘This is a very important book. Taken together, the collected papers present a rich picture of the vital role played by peasant women around the world. They are struggling to preserve, in the face of modern agribusiness, the agricultural wisdom of the past and the diversity of plants that have been used for both food and medicine. It is vital that decision makers, especially in the developing world, heed the knowledge of these women who understand so well the art of a sustainable lifestyle. Women and Plants must be in the library of every individual who cares about the future of our planet.’ Jane Goodall
This chapter examines the changing nature of gardening activities in a Bamana community in rural ... more This chapter examines the changing nature of gardening activities in a Bamana community in rural Mali. Using ethnographic field data collected between 1991 and 1998, it describes the transformation of gardening from a production-for-use activity associated with women to a ...
In the last several decades, archaeological research has provided an increasingly more detailed s... more In the last several decades, archaeological research has provided an increasingly more detailed scientific perspective on the "agricultural revolution" that occurred on the West African savanna, notably within the contemporary Mande cultural zone. This scholarship offers a complementary perspective to long-standing local narratives of the rise of agriculture in the region and a more robust, evidence-based portrait of agricultural innovation celebrated by previous influential scholars, albeit based on rather limited data. A common theme of creativity connects all of these perspectives; they converge on the "slow" yet "revolutionary" character of the shift to agriculture in the region, beginning with the use of wild plants and moving then to the cultivation of domesticated crops. I examine archaeological and historical research in order to extend my previous analysis of the agricultural creativity of the rural peoples of the Mande region into the past. This article aims to show the deep roots and innovative nature of contemporary agrarian life, to explore its connection with other agrarian "revolutions," and to use a case from the Global South to enrich our understanding of the Slow Food Movement.
foundational observations, arguments and propositions on the revolutionary nature of farming (Gre... more foundational observations, arguments and propositions on the revolutionary nature of farming (Greene 1999; Sherratt 1989; Smith 2009). Over the intervening decades as new archaeological evidence has emerged around the world there have been many additions and refinements to his original portrait of ‘Agricultural Revolution,’ with new sites of crop domestication identified and new developmental sequences for food production and culture change becoming apparent. Generations of historians have also highlighted the ‘revolutionary’ nature of agriculture. After identifying the shift to ‘Grand carnivorism’ (the hunting of large animals at the end of the Paleolithic) as the first ancient ‘revolution’ in the human diet, the noted French historian Fernand Braudel suggested that, ‘The second revolution, in the seventh or sixth millennium before the Christian era, was Neolithic agriculture with arrival of cultivated cereals. Now fields were cultivated, at the expense of huntingground and extensi...
better-known artists, [and] there is a world of gray in between, a space in which talented 'craft... more better-known artists, [and] there is a world of gray in between, a space in which talented 'craftsmen' produce work apparently indistinguishable from the established artists who have...themselves turned to mass producing highly commercialized works of art. [A]ll these sculptors have refined their techniques to a point where they are able to consistently produce aesthetically pleasing and highly marketable forms." Much of the stone sculpture on exhibition appears to fall into the gray zone Zilberg describes. For McEwen, a doctrine he termed "Perof the people of Kirango and neighboring communities with honesty and humility. Her words serve them well. C] atrican arts ? spring
As part of an ongoing process of socioeconomic transformation, commodity production is steadily b... more As part of an ongoing process of socioeconomic transformation, commodity production is steadily becoming more common throughout rural Africa. However, research from a wide range of social and geographic settings indicates that factors such as ethnicity, class, age, and gender often play important roles in shaping specific patterns of participation in market production. This paper explores the relationship between gender and commodity production in central Mali. Drawing on the findings of a 14-month ethnographic study (1992-1994), I describe production dynamics in a rural Bamana farming community, paying particular attention to the organization of commercial activities. I use the gender relations of production framework to highlight the differential participation of men and women in commercial gardening activities. I argue that dominant Bamana social and cultural patterns lead to a gender-biased system of access to commercially viable productive resources, and I discuss the implications of these findings in terms of men's and women's economic standing and relative social power in their home communities and domestic groups. By providing a detailed study of gender relations in this setting, I aim to improve our understanding of the gendered nature of agricultural production in this region and our understanding of differential response to commercial agricultural opportunities in rural Africa at large.
‘This is a very important book. Taken together, the collected papers present a rich picture of th... more ‘This is a very important book. Taken together, the collected papers present a rich picture of the vital role played by peasant women around the world. They are struggling to preserve, in the face of modern agribusiness, the agricultural wisdom of the past and the diversity of plants that have been used for both food and medicine. It is vital that decision makers, especially in the developing world, heed the knowledge of these women who understand so well the art of a sustainable lifestyle. Women and Plants must be in the library of every individual who cares about the future of our planet.’ Jane Goodall
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Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall