Moving Frontiers in the Amazon: Brazilian Small-Scale Gold Miners in Suriname.

de Theije, Marjo; Heemskerk, Marieke

The article focuses on small-scale Brazilian gold miners, known as garimpeiros, in Suriname and their effect on Suriname's civilization and culture. Based on ethnographic studies begun in 1996 in Surinamese mining areas, predominantly in Benzdorp, Sella Creek, and the Brokopondo areas, as well as the capital city of Paramaribo, the authors consider how mining has impacted environments in the Amazon rain forest and effected the socioeconomics of frontier mining areas in the country. Other subjects considered include the flexibility of national borders in South America, migration patterns of various ethnological groups, and government policies regarding immigration.

AMAZON River Region; SURINAME; BRAZILIAN foreign workers; GOLD mining; GEOGRAPHIC boundaries; FOREIGN workers; BRAZILIANS; GOLD miners; HUMAN ecology; IMMIGRATION policy

European Review of Latin American & Caribbean Studies, 2009, Issue 87, p5

0924-0608

Academic Journal

10.18352/erlacs.9600