Carolina Remorini

Childrearing and the shaping of children’s emotional experiences and expressions in two Argentinian communities

This article analyzes the role of childrens social environment in shaping childrens emotional expressions. It is based on the findings of an ongoing research study interrogating childrearing practices in two rural populations representing two contrasting ecological contexts in Argentina: Mbya Guarani indigenous communities located in the northeast rainforest (Misiones Province) and creole communities from Molinos (Salta Province), in the highlands and semiarid areas of Argentinean northwest. The focus of this article is on the ways in which adults interpret and respond to childrens crying as one manifestation of emotional behavior. This article attempts a comparative analysis of representations, attitudes and behaviors regarding childrens crying. It is stressed how discourses of childhood validate some expressions of emotion and restrict and pathologize others. On one hand, parents from both populations not only differ in their tolerance of childrens crying but also differ in their evaluation of the difficulties of rearing ‘weeping’ children. On the other hand, in both populations excessive senseless crying represents a risk for childrens health as it is considered a symptom of several illnesses. Based on these considerations, at the end of this article each populations ethnotheories of childrens appropriate emotional behavior is analyzed, and the implications of these ethnotheories for emotion socialization.

Spaces for Transdisciplinary Dialogues on the Relationship between Local Communities and Their Environments: The Case of a Rural Community in the Calchaquí Valley (Salta, Argentina)

Our ethnographic research focuses on the perception and use of components of the natural environment in terms of routine activities carried out by the residents of a rural community in the Calchaqui Valley (Salta, Argentina). Life in this community is characterised by the presence of traditional subsistence activities – agriculture, cattle farming, textile manufacturing and ancestral medical practices – coexisting with business ventures focused on monoculture and export, tourism centred on landscape intervention and promotion of native products, and the growing key role of public policies in the areas of health and human development. In this context, a joint reflection on viability and sustainability of local and global practices and resources must be undertaken. Implementing intersectoral forums and focus-group discussions, governmental and non-governmental actors, researchers and local people must work conjointly to achieve a fresh patrimonial awareness of livelihood strategies based on their long interaction with a specific environment.