COVID-19 and pastoralism in a context of rupture and structural reforms in Benin: Learning from uncertainty management from below

贝宁破裂和结构改革背景下的 COVID-19 和畜牧业：从自下而上的不确定性管理中学习

• 批准号: 468375783
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Nikolaus Schareika
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Lehrstuhl Sozialanthropologie
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Research Grants
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 德国
• 起止时间: 2020-12-31 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/468375783?language=en
• 关键词: COVID; 19; pastoralism; context; rupture

This project examines the social and economic implications of the current COVID-19 pan-demic, and of the knowledge and perception of these phenomena at the margins of the infectious events. These margins include large parts of the African continent, which have among the lowest infection rates worldwide. For analysing such dynamics, the project fo-cuses on pastoralists, a group that is also living in the shadow of globally circulating infor-mation flows. Pastoralists are an interesting case: they are seen as experts in dealing with uncertainties, while their livelihoods have come under serious pressure in many parts of Africa. The core question of this project is whether – and if so how and to what degree – pastoralists are affected by a virus that is causing havoc in completely different parts of the world. The project therefore seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the pandemics, not from its centres but from what is assumed to be its periphery. To examine the current dynamics, the project draws on approaches from anthropology and the sustainable liveli-hood framework, using ‘uncertainty’ as central theoretical concept and analytical lens. As women are often seen as carrying the bulk of the burden of pandemics, gender is used as a further lens. Empirically, the project seeks to scrutinise how the pandemic is experienced, interpreted and managed by pastoralists in different parts of Northern Benin. Therefore, ethnographic research will be conducted through two case studies – on (1) pastoral house-holds and (2) pastoralist women’s associations – in two regions of Northern Benin. The pro-ject uses a mixed-method approach comprised of participant observation, open and stand-ardised interviews, digital communication and situational analysis. Drawing a much more nuanced picture of how and with what consequences this ‘global’ pandemic evolves at its edges and how pastoralists who are experienced in dealing with uncertainty perceive the outcomes of the pandemic will help to clarify the scope of the pastoralists’ adaptability. This knowledge is important in how it might affect the future of pastoralism in this region, but also in how it might contribute to a better understanding of the globalising effects of crises which started in China, Europe or elsewhere.

本项目考察了当前COVID-19大流行的社会和经济影响，以及在感染事件边缘对这些现象的认识和看法。这些边缘地区包括非洲大陆的大部分地区，那里是世界上感染率最低的地区之一。为了分析这种动态，该项目将重点放在牧民身上，这一群体也生活在全球流动信息流的阴影下。牧民是一个有趣的例子：他们被视为应对不确定性的专家，而他们的生计在非洲许多地区受到严重压力。这个项目的核心问题是牧民是否——如果是，如何以及在多大程度上——受到一种在世界上完全不同地区造成破坏的病毒的影响。因此，该项目寻求帮助更好地了解流行病，不是从其中心，而是从被认为是其外围的地方。为了研究当前的动态，该项目借鉴了人类学和可持续生计框架的方法，将“不确定性”作为核心理论概念和分析视角。由于妇女往往被视为流行病的主要负担者，性别被用作进一步的视角。从经验上看，该项目力求仔细审查贝宁北部不同地区的牧民如何经历、解释和管理这一流行病。因此，民族志研究将通过两个案例研究进行- -在贝宁北部的两个地区(1)牧民家庭和(2)牧民妇女协会。该项目采用了一种混合方法，包括参与式观察、开放式和站立式访谈、数字沟通和情境分析。更细致地描绘这场“全球”大流行的演变方式和后果，以及在应对不确定性方面经验丰富的牧民如何看待大流行的结果，将有助于澄清牧民的适应能力范围。这些知识对于如何影响该地区畜牧业的未来很重要，而且对于如何更好地理解始于中国、欧洲或其他地方的危机对全球化的影响也很重要。