Ethnic identity among the Ticuna in the Tres Fronteras region of the Amazonian rainforest

González Rosas, Arturo Manuel (2023) Ethnic identity among the Ticuna in the Tres Fronteras region of the Amazonian rainforest. PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.

Text - Submitted Version Download (7MB)

Abstract

This dissertation maps the changes and continuities in the ethnic identity among the Ticuna people in the tri-border region of the Amazon River. Ticuna people have undergone critical transformations in their living conditions over the last century. The national borders divided the territory they traditionally inhabited. The Ticuna population ended up occupying territories governed by different nation-states, experiencing distinct administrative orders and indigenist policies. As a result of these nationalisation processes, Ticuna settlements changed from non-permanent dispersed dwellings of extended-family groups to the conformation of permanent multi-familiar nucleated villages. These new conditions led to a reconfiguration in their notions of what it means to be a Ticuna and what can be considered a good life. I conducted a multi-sited investigation that analysed the transnational social, economic and cultural connections of three Ticuna villages in the borderland: Arara in Colombia, Yahuma-Callaru in Peru, and Lauro Sodré in Brazil. The research shows the persistence of a transnational ethnic identification. It explains how the Ticuna people have constructed a cross-border network structured along the lines of kinship and common mythical origin, continuously revitalised by mutual visits to celebrate anniversaries, ritual celebrations and football matches. This thesis contributes to regional Amazonian studies addressing ethnic identity from a transnational point of view.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Additional Information:	© 2023 Arturo Manuel González Rosas
Library of Congress subject classification:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology
Sets:	Departments > Anthropology
Supervisor:	Shah, Alpa and Walker, Harry
URI:	http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/4718

Actions (login required)

Record administration - authorised staff only