Abstract

PARADA SANABRIA, Pompeyo José. Social and Cultural Practices of Coffee Farmers in Four Municipalities of Caldas (Colombia). Rev. colomb. soc. [online]. 2017, vol.40, suppl.1, pp.193-212. ISSN 0120-159X.  https://doi.org/10.15446/rcs.v40n1Supl.65913.

This article, which is the result of a research project carried out in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology of the Universidad de Caldas, analyzes socio-cultural variables among coffee pickers in central Caldas, a zone where coffee growing is technologically advanced, and small coffee growers in the northern and western parts of the department of Caldas, covering four municipalities. Following the socio-cultural identity methodology developed by professors of the Universidad de Sevilla, the study includes the following variables: family relations, associationism, and sociability, which are significant elements in the social practice of these two social groups. Said methodology is applied to the abovementioned social collectives of coffee growers in Caldas, highlighting social practice outside the field of production, in order to differentiate it from the description and analysis of purely economic factors, as is usually done in this type of study. This, however, does not mean that this aspect is left out.

The article is the result of field work that focused particularly on the observation of work processes and behavior in places other than work environments during harvest and inactive periods. Semi-structured and in-depth interviews were also carried out with coffee pickers, small farmers, leaders of two indigenous reservations, and employers in villages, farms, and public places in the municipalities considered to be representative of the two social groups: Chinchiná and Palestina, in the case of coffee pickers during harvest season, and Riosucio and Salamina, in the case of farmers.

Keywords : coffee farmers; work culture; social identity; social practices; coffee pickers.

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