Understanding small-scale gold mining practices:An anthropological study on technological innovation in the Vale do Rio Peixoto (Mato Grosso, Brazil)

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining in the Amazonian countries has undergone important technological improvements in recent decades. Nevertheless, this type of mining is largely associated with the use of rudimentary, low-tech and often manual methods, with inefficient gold recovery. This article aims at investigating how innovations and improvements in the technology used in small-scale gold mines are connected to a broader perception of the miners about the integration of more modern and effective techniques. A technographical approach enabled the understanding of mining practices as embodied cultural knowledge and to fill the information gap between the study of materials and techniques with the study of people and communities. We discuss how the technology of small-scale gold mining in the region of Peixoto de Azevedo (Mato Grosso, Brazil) has changed since the early 1980s, giving particular attention to the recent introduction of two main innovations: the mechanized exploration drill and the cyanidation process. In this region, miners are successfully organized in cooperatives efforts to mutually reinforce the integration of innovative and effective techniques. Finally, we introduce the three notions of foresight (visão), agility (agilidade) and development (desenvolvimento) that emerged during fieldwork and conceptually frame the likeliness of acceptance and promulgation of innovations in this context. Sustainable mining may only succeed if a wider vision of the future of the sector (foresight) joins public policies that facilitate the practical process of innovation during each phase of its realization (agility) in order to achieve an advanced social status of the local community (development)

O ESTUDO DA RELIGIÃO NO DEPARTAMENTO DE ANTROPOLOGIA SOCIAL E CULTURAL DA VRJE UNIVERSITEIT EM AMSTERDÃ

Os autores neste artigo analisam a trajetó ria e o momento atual de um grupo de professores e pesquisadores em Antropologia da Religião radicado no departamento de Antropologia Social da Universidade Livre de Amsterdã . Fizeram uma breve Historia da constituição do grupo na segunda metade do século XX. Nas décadas de 1960 e 1970, as pesquisas de campo eram desenvolvidas em varias lugares do mundo, com marcos teóricos igualmente diversos. Atualmente há uma articu lação das pesquisas dos professores e alunos de doutorado em dois grandes programas de pesquisa. O primeiro programa, "Entre secularização e sacralizacao" engloba pesquisas no campo religioso holandês a partir de um enquadramento metodológico qualitativo. o segundo programa, "trajetórias de conversão e políticas da cultura ", dedica -se ao estudo da expansão do cristianismo carismático e pentacostal na Holanda e no globo

THE STUDY OF RELIGION IN DEPARTAMENT OF SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT AMSTERDAM

The authcrs of this artic analy the trajectory and the conterrporary moment of a group of profsors and reseamhers in Anthiopolcgy of Religion at the Departmmt of Social Anthropology at Free University of Amsterdam. They elabcrate a brief histcry of the constitution of the group in secord half of the Century in the decades of 1960 and 1970, the field resrch were devebped in different loca in the world, with theomtical marks also different. Nowadays there is an artiwlation of the researches of the profsors and Ph.D. studmts in two big plDgrams.The first: "Between secularization and sacralization", includes researches on the Dutth religious field from a qualitatiw methodological grade The secord: "Careers of conversion and politics of culture", is dedicated on the study of the expansionof charismatic and pentecostal Christianity in Holland and over the globe