Household economy as cultural and social practice: towards a framework for investigating poverty and resilience

Abstract

"This chapter is based on ethnographical observations of small-scale socioeconomic practices and the related cultural patterns at the level of households and families. By studying oyster pickers in the heart of England, German small-scale fruit farmers and Sámi reindeer herders in the Arctic, it explores possible conceptual bridges leading from household-based observations towards a promising theoretical framework for resilience. This includes an expanded ‘social’ functionalism in terms of Marcel Mauss, the ecology of life by Tim Ingold and others, utilizing concepts of social exchange, affordances, implicit knowledge and embodiment. The thesis is that non- or sub-market relations, subsistence economy and making use of nature’s affordances or resources can be crucial perspectives on resilience in households at the brink of poverty." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Promberger, M. & Vuojala-Magga, T. (2020): Household economy as cultural and social practice: towards a framework for investigating poverty and resilience. In: M. Boost, J. Dagg, J. Gray & M. Promberger (Eds.) (2020): Poverty, crisis and resilience, Cheltenham, Elgar p. 18-36. DOI:10.4337/9781788973205.00010