essay
Processes and limitations of Dogon agricultural knowledge
Anthropological critique of development: the growth of ignorance • London • Published In 1993 • Pages: 43-60
By: Beek, W. E. A. van.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
In this article, van Beek discusses traditional Dogon agricultural practices and the changes subsequent to their migration out onto the plain. Traditionally extended family groups worked fields closest to the escarpment, whereas bands of men in the same age-class worked fields further out, which were more vulnerable to slave raiders. Old men controlled the whole production process. The Pax Gallica opened the plains and the plateau above to settlement and land reclamation. After the Second World War, the migration increased and a lucrative market in onions developed. Between 1900 and 1970, the Dogon population increased three-fold and the region became overcultivated, a condition exacerbated by the great drought of the 1980s. Van Beek argues that the Dogon have continued to operate according to a general view of unlimited resources, invoked by past images of the endless emptiness of the plains below the cliffs. This cultural lag prevents Dogon adaptation to scarcity, imperiling their ecosystem and survival.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Tillage
- Agricultural science
- Vegetable production
- Environmental quality
- Production and supply
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Dogon
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2000
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Africa
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Western Africa
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Ethnographer
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Ian Skoggard; 1999
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1979-1991
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1500-1990
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Bandiagara escarpment, Mali
- NotesAdditional notes
- Walter E. A. van Beek
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 60)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 92045834
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Dogons (African people)