Rainforest Cowboys: The Rise of Ranching and Cattle Culture in Western Amazonia

Austin Texas: University of Texas Press, 2015. First Edition Stated . Hard Back. Fine/Very Good. 6 1/4" X 9 1/2. 196 Pages Indexed. Book is in brand new condition with flawless interior text pages. Dust jacket is near fine with flap price $45 unclipped. This book is a part of The Latin American and Caribbean Arts and Culture publication funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The opening of the Amazon to colonization in the 1970s brought cattle, land conflict, and widespread deforestation. In the remote state of Acre, Brazil, rubber tappers fought against migrant ranchers to preserve the forest they relied on, and in the process, these forest guardians showed the world that it was possible to unite forest livelihoods and environmental preservation. Nowadays, many rubber tappers and their children are turning away from the forest-based lifestyle they once sought to protect and are becoming cattle-raisers or even cowboys. This is the first book to examine the social and cultural forces driving the expansion of Amazonian cattle raising in all of their complexity. Drawing on eighteen months of fieldwork, the author shows how cattle raising is about much more than beef production or deforestation in Acre, even among carnivorous environmentalists, vilified ranchers, and urbanites with no land or cattle. He contextualizes the rise of ranching in relation to political economic structures and broader meanings to understand the spread of cattle culture. This cattle-centered vision of rural life builds on local experiences and influences from across the Americas and even resembles East African cultural practices. Written in a broadly accessible and interdisciplinary style, this book is essential reading for a global audience interested in understanding the economic and cultural features of cattle raising, deforestation, and the continuing tensions between conservation and development in the Amazon. Contents in Ten Chapters: The Journey to Acre, The Expansion of Cattle Raising in Acre, Ruminations on Cattle Economies and Cattle Cultures, Ideologies of Nature and Human-Environment Interactions, The Ranchers: Smooth Hands Progress and Production, The City and the Contri, Here's the Beef: Symbol Sustenance and Hamburger Connections, Rubber-Tapper and Colonist Transitions Environment Practice and Identity, The Appropriation of Cattle Culture: Perceptions Behaviors and Methodological Considerations, and The Full Picture.