Journal of Material Culture· 2026Q1
Traps and trapping in Amazonia: Human and non-human entanglements in Napo, Ecuador
- 0citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Traps in Ecuador's Napo Province are not just tools but active agents that co-constitute environments and grant agency to prey through 'false' environmental signs.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Traps in Napo, Ecuador, are co-constituted with human and non-human entities, acquiring person-like qualities.
- Trapping is defined as an interaction mediated by a modified environment of 'false' signs.
- Unlike hunting, trapping affords prey new forms of agency by disrupting established relationships with their environments.
- Traps are dynamic, emerging through interactions rather than being pre-assembled tools.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
This article sheds light on the meaning and world-making capacities of objects by examining both the material composition and social entanglements of traps in Ecuador's Napo Province. Drawing on fieldwork, we explore how objects are co-constituted alongside human and non-human entities, acquiring person-like qualities. We demonstrate that traps are not merely tools for capture or killing but also ingenious, cunning strategies for navigating disadvantaged positions and disrupting others’ relationships with their environments. However, unlike hunting, trapping affords prey new forms of agency. We define trapping as an interaction mediated by a modified environment composed of “false” signs. Traps are not preassembled tools but emerge through dynamic interactions, co-constructing the field of research itself.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal of Material Culture, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Geography, Planning and Development
Geography, Planning and DevelopmentSocial Sciences