Chronicling Amazon Town: Eight Decades of Research and Engagement in Gurupá, Brazil

A long-term view of continuity and change
in a rural Amazonian community

In Chronicling
Amazon Town, Richard Pace and Helena Lima bring together the work of
researchers from a variety of fields to provide a comprehensive synthesis of
local and regional studies in the town of Gurupá in Brazil, ranging from
archaeological findings to ethnohistory and sociocultural anthropology.

Building
upon and critiquing Charles Wagley’s 1955 book Amazon Town, the authors
in this volume focus on Gurupá as a crossroad of sociocultural changes in the
lower Amazon region. Drawing on continuous research in this location since the
publication of Wagley’s book, they use a longitudinal approach to examine
archaeological, historical, and contemporary cultural patterns, situating their
investigations within the greater Amazonian context. These chapters examine topics
including race and identity, kinship and marriage, gender roles, migration
patterns, and religious and political social movements. They also address
challenges facing sustainable development and conservation efforts in the
Amazon rainforest, including extractive economies and struggles over land
tenure.

Chronicling
Amazon Town
adds an important long-term historical understanding of Gurupá, documents how
community members have related to the surrounding environment and their social
categories, and assesses the influence of regional, national, and global
processes. This unique book offers an extended view of continuity and change in
one of the longest and most fully studied rural communities in the region.

Contributors: Bruno Moraes Monte Talley Glenn H. Shepard, Jr. Gabrielle Botelho André Lima Barbara Silva Lucy Dodd Paul Chilsen Cristiana Barreto Richard Pace Kyle L. Harper Helena P. Lima Brian P. Hinote Lorena Pavão Ezequiel Barbosa da Silva Kevin McDaniel Fábio dos Passos Alho Cynthia Pace Cisneros John Ben Soileau DR Nigel J.H. Smith Dr, Andrew R. Wyatt Robson Lopes Cássia Luzia Lobato Benathar Matthew Abel Christine Printz Fernando Luiz Tavares Marques Morgan J. Schmidt Pedro Alves Vieira