Gastvortrag The unbuilt house: Amazonian ways of inhabiting and living

The Reserve of Sustainable Development of the Iratapuru River is located in the Brazilian Amazonia between the states of Pará and Amapá. In 2014, the most important Village of the Reserve was submerged due to the construction of the dam of the Hydroelectric Plant Cachoeira de Santo Antônio do Jarí. The houses traditionally made by local people were rebuilt by engineers, which created considerable challenges for the relationship between humans, animals, plants and environment. This lecture proposes an anthropological reflection on the modalities of living and appropriation of space by Amazonian traditional peoples, emphasizing the way their environmental and spatial perception guides different types of interaction, coexistence and sociability, while challenging normative conceptions of interior and exterior.

This guest lecture is organized by the CRC 1671, with support from the HCIAS.