Acerca de la participación de niños y niñas en actividades de subsistencia Estudio etnográfico en unidades domésticas rurales de Salta (Argentina)

In this paper, we ethnographically analyze the participation of children from rural communities of Salta in domestic activities and the abilities they develop during their participation. Through interviews with their caregivers, we identified the ways in which they characterize children’s behaviors, dispositions, abilities, and preferences. Furthermore, it was possible to establish what kind of activities are appropriate, how are they assigned and learned to be carried out by children, and what sort of care they required. Also, we were able to establish how these considerations could stimulate or limit children participation in subsistence activities. Children’s contributions are valued as part of the reciprocity relationships that are on the basis of social organization for productive, raising and caring activities at domestic scale. Abilities they develop during their participation in the domestic economy are key to the maintenance of life strategies based on the management of local resources, even when transformations at local and regional scale are registered.