PANEL 03: Indigenous futures: anthropology of the forthcoming in native Amazonia

SALSA XII Sesquiannual Conference – Vienna, 2019

Organizers:
Camilla Morelli, University of Bristol, UK
Amy Penfield, University of Bristol, UK

Chairs: Camilla Morelli, Amy Penfield

Abstract: This panel considers how indigenous Amazonians imagine, discuss and negotiate the future amidst radical economic and political changes that are affecting Amazonia and Latin America more broadly – such as growing urbanisation, migratory processes, the arrival of new materialities, the impact of state policies and globalised media, and so forth. Our aim is to focus on how indigenous peoples navigate and envisage transformative futures in ways that intermingle with political, cosmological and practical aspects of Amazonian life; but also how emerging narratives on “the future of Amazonia” promoted by the state, NGOs and other external agencies impinge on indigenous cosmologies and ontologies. We invite participants to consider the following questions: What emerging subjectivities take form with increased engagement with the state and non-indigenous society, whether discordant or consistent with their existing ethos, morality and cosmology?; how are ongoing economic and political changes affecting indigenous notions of, but also expectations for, their future lives? How have indigenous temporal frames been affected by this contemporary engagement?; how do different generations of Amazonians envisage their future amidst radical transformations that are affecting Amazonia and Latin America at large such as resource extraction, party politics, NGO ideologies, beauty contests, and increased technology use?, how can indigenous people and anthropologists engage in a mutual conversation and explore paths towards establishing a sustainable future?

Panel Schedule