Trig?simo Congreso Internacional sobre Aprendizaje

Abstract

This study contributes to the discussion of the cattle expansion frontier in the legal Amazon, focusing on material-symbolic aspects related to the “cattle culture”. It is well known that cattle rising drivers Amazon forest deforestation throughout land use change, but there is insufficient research that relates cattle culture and its symbolic identification by Amazonian traditional communities and its growing percentage of cattle rising in protected areas and amazon deforestation. For this purpose, the study starts from the economics of symbolic exchanges and theory of practice, by Pierre Bourdieu, aimed to understanding the influence of the “cattle culture” in the symbolic identification of the traditional communities placed in two protected areas in Acre Sate, Brazilian Amazon. Based on Riozinho da Liberdade case study empirical findings as result of four months of participant observation, in living within the communities, and in structured interviews. Results shows that although the Riozinho da Liberdade community maintain pasture and a considerable cattle raising activity as the growing economic importance of the livestock in the area, the cattle culture has not affected their habitus, in contrary to what has been observed in Chico Mendes communities, pointing to the direction that it may be possible that the cattle rising economy is not enough to support a significant land use change toward a high deforestation levels in protected areas. There is still a need for further research regarding the regional’s economy and culture influence in habitus maintenance or change in communities that live in protected areas.