Worldview Matters: Mosetene Ontology and Resource Use in the Pilón Lajas Indigenous Territory and Biosphere Reserve in the Bolivian Amazon

Gambon, Helen Anna; Rist, Stephan (2019). Worldview Matters: Mosetene Ontology and Resource Use in the Pilón Lajas Indigenous Territory and Biosphere Reserve in the Bolivian Amazon. Human organization, 78(1), pp. 54-63. Society for Applied Anthropology

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This paper analyses the basic features and transformations of the ontology and related lifeworlds of the Mosetene people in the co-management context of the Pilón Lajas Indigenous Territory and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Our results, based on anthropological fieldwork, showed the Mosetene to be perspectivist, perceiving themselves to be embedded in the forest as part of a web of social relationships linking human and non-human societies. Mosetene are experiencing rapid changes in sociopolitical organization due to increased interaction with actors representing other, dominant ontological communities. The related transformation of the Mosetene worldview is affecting natural resource use. We argue that co-management must address the asymmetries and contradictions related to this encounter of ontologies, in order to reconcile Mostene lifeworlds and biodiversity conservation efforts. Strengthening the position of the elders within the indigenous organization and establishing an inter-ontological dialogue platform among all stakeholders could provide the conditions under which the Mosetene can reenact their communication with the forest's non-human societies while becoming active subjects in the governance of the Indigenous Territory and Biosphere Reserve.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

10 Strategic Research Centers > Centre for Development and Environment (CDE)
08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > Geographies of Sustainability > Unit Critical Sustainability Studies (CSS)
08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > Geographies of Sustainability
08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography

Graduate School:

International Graduate School North-South (IGS North-South)

UniBE Contributor:

Gambon, Helen Anna, Rist, Stephan

Subjects:

100 Philosophy > 120 Epistemology
200 Religion > 290 Other religions
300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology > 320 Political science
300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology > 330 Economics
900 History > 910 Geography & travel

ISSN:

0018-7259

Publisher:

Society for Applied Anthropology

Funders:

[4] Swiss National Science Foundation

Projects:

[1208] Through the Research Module “Transcultural Governance of the Environment in Latin America (TransGELA)”

Language:

English

Submitter:

Stephan Rist

Date Deposited:

08 May 2019 14:29

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:27

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.129302

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/129302

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