Configurations spatiales et organisation sociale : structure agraire et système de parenté dans le village de Chãos de la région de Beira-Beixa au Portugal
Institution:
Paris, EHESSDisciplines:
Directors:
Abstract EN:
This thesis analyses the relationship between the agricultural structure and the kinship system of the village of chaos, in central north-east portugal. The agricultural structure presents a landscape of enclosures and a high occupancy of small properties. The system of cultivation was based on a dichotomy between outlying non-irrigated single-crop land and irrigated mixed-crop land near the dwelling-house. But as equal sharing-out significantly reduces the size of the fields, mixed-crop farming is increasing, affecting the former balance between the two types of cultivation. Moreover, the old, uniform method of closing-in can no longer be used and a new rationality of adapting the divisions to the size of the fields is taking its place. The kinship system, based on a bilateral terminology, operates by bilinear descent in accordance with one of its variants : by the existence of distinct masculine and feminine lines which in turn favour first-born lines (for the passing on of the name and property). This rule of descent, combined with the dominant matrilocal residence - the men moving away - tends to favour the formation of residential groups based on "gynolines". The result is quite a marked control of the landed property by the women, who are in a position to develop strategies for inheritance which are in their favour (obscured by the official equal sharing-out). These aspects, still very dynamic today, coexist with different administrative norms and give rise to a customary duality between local and administrative individual identity, between beneficiary sharing - according to sex and order of birth - and official equal sharing of property. Thus descent and residence are inscribed in the agricultural landscape : the mixed-crop fields tend to be feminine property and to be handed down from mother to daugther, the single-crop fields to be masculine property and to be handed down from father to son (their extensive cultivation lending itself well to the moving away of the men). The substance of the enclosures then becomes proportional to the degree of kinship of the different owners. These are some of the visible marks of the social organization of the village.
Abstract FR:
Cette these analyse la relation entre la structure agraire et le systeme de parente du village de chaos, dans le centre-nord-est du portugal. La structure agraire presente un paysage d'enclos et une forte occupation minifondiaire. Le systeme cultural etait fonde encore recemment sur une dichotomie entre terres seches monoculturales, peripheriques a la maison d'habitation, et terres irriguees polyculturales, proches de la maison. Mais a mesure que le partage egalitaire retrecit significativement la taille des champs, la polyculture s'accentue au detriment de l'ancien equilibre de bi-division culturale. De plus, l'ancienne encloture uniforme ne peut plus se realiser et cede la place a une nouvelle rationalite d'adaptation des separations a la taille des champs. Le systeme de parente, fonde sur une terminologie bilaterale, opere par la filiation bilineaire selon l'une de ses variantes : par l'existence de lignees feminines et masculines distinctes qui a leur tour privilegient des lignees d'aines (en ce qui concerne la transmission du nom et des biens). Cette regle de filiation, associee a la residence matrilocale dominante - qui eloigne les hommes - tend a favoriser la constitution de groupes residentiels fondes sur des "gynolignes". Il en resulte un controle assez marque des biens-fonds par les femmes, celles-ci etant en mesure de developper des strategies d'heritage qui les favorisent (masquees par des representations liees au partage egalitaire legal). Ces aspects, tres dynamiques aujourd'hui meme, coexistent avec des normes administratives differentes et sont l'objet d'une dualite d'usage entre identite individuelle locale et administrative, entre partage beneficiaire - selon le sexe et le rang de naissance - et partage egalitaire officiel des biens. Ainsi la filiation et la residence s'inscrivent dans le paysage agricole : les champs polyculturaux, tendent a etre propriete feminine et a se transmettre de mere en fille; les champs monoculturaux sont propriete masculine et se transmettent de pere en fils (leur exploitation extensive se pretant a l'eloignement des hommes). La materialite des clotures devient proportionnelle au degre de parente des differents proprietaires; telles sont quelque-unes des marques visibles de l'organisation sociale du village.