Eastern African pastoralists often present themselves as being egalitarian, equating cattle ownership with wealth. By this definition "the poor are not us," poverty is confined to non-pastoralist, socially excluded persons and groups. Exploring this notion means discovering something about self-perceptions and community consciousness, how pastoralist identity has been made in opposition to other modes of production, how pastoralists want others to see them and how they see themselves. This collection rejects the premise of pastoral egalitarianism and poses questions about the gradual creep of poverty, changing patterns of wealth and accumulation, the impact of diminishing resources on pastoral communities and the impact of external values of land, labor, and livestock.
- ISBN10 0821413139
- ISBN13 9780821413135
- Publish Date 25 March 2000 (first published 17 January 2000)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Ohio University Press
- Format Paperback
- Pages 287
- Language English