essay
Economic spheres in Darfur
themes in economic anthropology • • Published In 1967 • Pages: 149-174
By: Barth, Fredrik, 1928.
Abstract
This study describes salient features of traditional subsistence and exchange among Fur farmers living in dense villages on the slopes of the Jebel Marra. Using the concept of “economic spheres,” the author provides generalizations about determinants of market values and the cultural desirability of certain assets (e.g. land, cash, labor) and agricultural products (e.g. grain, fruits and vegetables). Fur farmers are found to be not just rational profit-seeking individuals but also culturally-bound actors who must distinguish what is morally permissible. Examples of this concern with morality include communal norms restricting the availability of agricultural and domestic labor, and of local beer in the cash economy sphere.
- Region
- Africa
- Sub Region
- Eastern Africa
- Document Type
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Anthropologist
- Document Rating
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Teferi Abate Adem; 2020
- Field Date
- 1964
- Coverage Date
- 1964
- Coverage Place
- Jebel Marra massif, Central and North Darfur states, Darfur region, Sudan
- Notes
- Fredrik Barth
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 173-174)
- LCCN
- 68098218
- LCSH
- Darfur (Sudan)