Saharan migrant camel herders

Freire, Francisco Manuel Machado da Rosa da Silva

http://hdl.handle.net/10362/28750

Utilize este identificador para referenciar este registo.

Nome:	Descrição:	Tamanho:	Formato:
Saharan_shepherds_Francisco_12_08_2013.pdf		317.03 KB	Adobe PDF	Ver/Abrir

Contacte-nos

Autores

Freire, Francisco Manuel Machado da Rosa da Silva

Resumo(s)

In the late 20th century, 300 Mauritanian shepherds travelled to the United Arab Emirates in order to tend the herds of some of that country's most prominent leaders. These low-tech subjects of global migration flows were particularly valued and sought after by their Emirati employers for their expertise in raising camels. I analyse the forms and consequences of this migration, focusing on the reintegration of these shepherds into Mauritanian stratified tribal spheres following their return to the Sahara. The possibility of a change in their social status (after a financially rewarding experience in the Gulf) will be a central theme of this article. This issue arises from the pervasive designation of these shepherds as a ‘tributary’ (znāga) group, through the application of the tripartite social model that, to a large extent, still defines Mauritania's arabophone population.