The Sarakatsani Shepherds

Essay # 3060

Anthropology > Cultural
Ethnic Studies > European

An analysis of how Campbell relates the political relationships and political values of the Sarakatsani shepherds to the cycle of their economic life and their kinship relationships.

2,000 words () | 2 sources | 1999

Paper Summary:

This paper provides an ethnography of the Sarakatsani shepherds, with emphasis on their economic life, kinship relationships and system of values. The paper is broken up into an introduction, a discussion o f the three "political relationships" and a conclusion. In building up his picture of political culture in this Greek rural community, Campbell's central concern, the paper proves, is how social solidarity is maintained.

From the Paper:

"The institution of patron client relationships enables the shepherds to deal with the villagers and government officials without loss of honor. It establishes a face-to-face relationship that in other cultures is substituted by the impersonal citizen-representative dyad. The competition for social prestige among related families gives expression to their mutual hostility so that a violent means of retaining self-regard may be avoided."