The Pen and the Plough

Balanta Young Men in Guinea-Bissau

Dados Bibliográficos

ID3884633
AutoresM P Temudo (0000-0002-8254-4233, autor correspondente), Marina Temudo, Manuel Abrantes (0000-0003-4411-6569)
Ano2015
Volume46
Fascículo3
Páginas464-485
Data de publicação2015-05-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoDevelopment and Change (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0012-155X • E-ISSN: 1467-7660
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/dech.12166
OpenAlexW1859784913
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas15
Referências citadas32

Up until the late 1990s, the Balanta of Guinea-Bissau constituted what could be described as a 'deep rural society', whose central identity was linked with rice production and cattle accumulation. At the same time, it could be argued that even in the early days after Independence in 1974, the social aspirations of Balanta young men matched those of other Guinean youths in their shared desire to get away from the strictures of gerontocracy and of rural life. Surprisingly, however, this study documents the agency of many rural Balanta young men in changing oppressive social rules, and in using agriculture as a means to fund their education, to feed their families and as a route to prosperity. The authors conclude that the persistent political instability in the country (most acutely felt in the capital city) and the national and global economic crises, together with the Balanta agricultural ethos and the softening of gerontocratic power, are at the root of this revaluing of rural livelihoods. This article challenges current dominant narratives about the crisis of young men in contemporary Africa and highlights the need to study the aspirations and achievements of youth in their rural-urban nexus from a historical and holistic perspective

Agency (philosophy · Agriculture · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Livelihood · Political science · Politics · Poverty · Power (physics · Prosperity · Social science · Sociology · Aging, Elder Care, and Social Issues · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Cultural Identity and Heritage · Gender Studies