Forests of Belonging examines the history and ongoing transformation
of ethnic and social relationships among four distinct
communities--Bangando, Baka, Bakwéle, and Mbomam--in the Lobéké forest
region of southeastern Cameroon. By slotting forest communities into
ecological categories such as "hunters" and "gatherers," previous
analyses of social relationships in tropical forests have resulted in
binary frameworks that render real-life relationships invisible and that
have perpetuated correspondingly misleading labels, such as "pygmy."
Through rich descriptive detail resulting from field work among the
Bangando, Stephanie Rupp illustrates the complexity of social ties among
groups and individuals, and their connections with the natural world.
She demonstrates that social and ethno-ecological relations in
equatorial African forests are nuanced, contested, and shifting, and
that the intricacy of these links must be considered in the design and
implementation of aid policies and strategies for conservation and
development.