Towards a Theory of Pastoralist and Rancher Identity: Insights for Understanding Livestock Systems in Transformation

Authors: FERNANDEZ-GIMENEZ, MARIA - Colorado State University; Wilmer, Hailey

Submitted to: Agriculture and Human Values
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/23/2024
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Ranchers and pastoralists are important land stewards and decision-makers in agricultural systems. However, little research has been conducted to understand their own views of their identities. A better understanding of pastoralist identity will help us understand their perspectives, actions, and research needs as they respond to social and ecological change. This article provides a framework to understand the identities of ranchers and pastoralists based on interviews conducted in the US, Mongolia, and Spain. Data analysis used a poetic inquiry method to code interview transcripts. The framework we report includes elements of livestock, place, family/community and occupation

Technical Abstract: This article outlines a middle-range theory of pastoralist/rancher identity, offering a framework for analyzing the meanings, symbols, and practices associated with four interrelated dimensions of pastoralist identity: identification with livestock, place, family and community, and occupation. Poetic analysis of interviews from pastoral systems in transition in Mongolia’s Khangai and Gobi regions, the Spanish Pyrenees, and Colorado, USA shows how theorizing pastoralist identity, animated by place-based knowledge and emotion, may support deeper understanding of livestock-keepers’ social conflicts and responses to change. Even in capitalist systems, livestock-keepers are often primarily motivated by maintaining identities and lifeways rather than by profit maximization.