Title: Tobati, Paraguay: indigenous market town revisited

Authors: Leo Paul Dana, Teresa E. Dana

Addresses: University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand. ' University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand

Abstract: Given the relative isolation of Paraguay, Indigenous Paraguayans were believed, until the 1950s, to have preserved Guarani culture in a somewhat pure state. In a landmark ethnographic study of Tobati, the famous anthropologist Elman Service and his wife Helen suggested that Guarani traits had been replaced by Hispanic ones. Five decades later, our study observes four conditions bound to fuel value change in Tobati: (1) an increase in population beyond that which subsistence agriculture can support; (2) the growth of markets and marketing; (3) a leap in communications and transportation infrastructure allowing an unprecedented flow in commerce; and (4) the spread of education and technology.

Keywords: Latin America; Paraguay; Tobati; Guarani; indigenous peoples; modernisation; economic development; population increase; subsistence agriculture can support; market growth; marketing; communications; transportation; infrastructure; education; technology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2008.019506

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2008 Vol.6 No.4, pp.520 - 535

Published online: 14 Jul 2008 *

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