Between domestication and ferality: cattle-human relationships in the making of post-colonial South-American society

Informations projet

CowDom

N° de convention de subvention: 101088949

DOI

10.3030/101088949

Date de signature de la CE 18 Avril 2023

Date de début 1 Septembre 2023

Date de fin 31 Août 2028

Financé au titre de

• European Research Council (ERC)

Coût total

€ 1 611 768,00

Contribution de l’UE

€ 1 611 768,00

Coordonné par

UNIVERSITA CA' FOSCARI VENEZIA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CowDom (Between domestication and ferality: cattle-human relationships in the making of post-colonial South-American society)

Période du rapport: 2023-09-01 au 2026-02-28

Résumé du contexte et des objectifs généraux du projet

Starting with Columbus’ third trip to the Caribbean, Iberian cattle accompanied humans in the colonization of the South American continent. Since then, the cattle population has grown exponentially throughout the region, adapting to a variety of local ecologies, being exported all over the world, and leading to the cattle industry’s spectacular historical trajectory and economic success. Beginning in the 19th century, new “pure” breeds of European, North American, and Indian origin were incorporated into the bovine production system in South America, slowly displacing the Creole cattle brought by the first colonizers.
At the same time, the multiplication of cattle has become increasingly linked to phenomena such as climate change, soil degradation, and deforestation. By focusing on the contemporary transformations of cattle–human relations, the project aims for a broader understanding of society and its current transformations in four South American countries: Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, and Argentina. What values and ideologies, frictions and dilemmas, and what new socio-ecological systems has cattle’s existence enabled—both at the center and at the margins of society?
To answer these questions, CowDom relies on long-term ethnographic fieldwork in cattle fairs, estancias, pure-breed associations and in areas with feral and semi-feral cattle. The fieldwork is carried out by interdisciplinary teams composed of biologists and anthropologists, in order to establish an innovative theoretical framework to analyze cattle–human relationships in a postcolonial context. Research methodologies also include experimental tools such as video-making and collaboration with a contemporary art museum in Paraguay.

Travail effectué depuis le début du projet jusqu’à la fin de la période considérée dans le rapport et principaux résultats atteints jusqu’à présent

1. Study of Cattle Fairs

The PI and postdoctoral researchers carried out fieldwork at cattle fairs in Paraguay, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina. Cattle fairs are crucial events for understanding the role of genetics in shaping contemporary methods of raising and producing cattle. These contexts make it possible to identify which animals represent the ideal standard and to analyze the discourses surrounding the making of an “ideal” bull or cow.

2. Contact with Breed Associations and Local Producers

In Paraguay, the PI worked alongside the Asociación Paraguaya de Criadores de Pampa Chaqueño (APCPCH), which is still in the process of being officially recognized by governmental institutions.
In Argentina, the PI interviewed members from the Asociación Argentina Criadores Ganado Bovino Criollo.
In Colombia, team 2 conducted fieldwork with Agrosavia (the Colombian Agricultural Research Corporation), which maintains a conservation group for Sanmartinero Creole cattle, and with the Creole Cattle Germplasm Conservation Programme. One of the most compelling aspects of this research has been understanding why medium- and large-scale meat producers resist raising Creole cattle, despite their economic and ecological advantages.
In Brazil, team 3 established two distinct ethnographic research fronts in the South, reflecting divergent approaches to contemporary cattle breeding. On one hand, research conducted in collaboration with the Brazilian Angus Association, Embrapa Pecuária Sul, and the National Association of Breeders – Herd Book Collares granted access to the cutting edge of livestock technoscience. On the other hand, work with breeders of Crioulo, Franqueiro, and Crioulo Sulino cattle—carried out in partnership with their respective local associations—revealed a contrasting reality. These autochthonous breeds are facing extinction due to their lower economic appeal, despite their vital importance to the region’s biocultural diversity.

3. Collaborations with the CONBIAND Network

The PI and team 2 have actively participated in the annual meetings of CONBIAND (Conservación de la Biodiversidad de Animales Domésticos) and REGAD (Recursos Genéticos Animales para el Desarrollo Sostenible), first in Costa Rica and later in Colombia. This is a highly active community of South American scholars and farmers advocating for the preservation of native species, ranging from chickens to cattle.

4. Fieldwork in Estancias and Natural Parks

The PI and the postdoctoral researchers have also conducted fieldwork in estancias and in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, in Argentina, where some of the last feral criollo cattle still live.

5. Visiting period at UC Davis

The PI has spent a total period of 4 months (from September to December 2025) as a Visiting Scholar at UC Davis (California); during this period she held regular meetings with Professor Marisol de la Cadena, one of members of the advisory board of the ERC project, and has followed the following courses: “Genetics for animal breeding”, “Animal behaviour” and “Portuguese”.

Progrès au-delà de l’état des connaissances et impact potentiel prévu (y compris l’impact socio-économique et les conséquences sociétales plus larges du projet jusqu’à présent)

The research highlights current tensions, ideas, and practices that guide the configuration of contemporary cattle farming in different South American countries. In particular, the project examines the tensions between large-scale cattle farming—based on the adoption of purebred cattle—and small-scale cattle farming, where cattle are not always identifiable as belonging to a specific breed. These two modalities of cattle farming also correspond to different ways of "making bovines."
The existence of a centralized infrastructure for slaughtering and exporting meat further exacerbates these tensions, fostering the homogenization of the cattle industry. Other paradigms, such as regenerative or sustainable cattle farming, are also gaining momentum in the industry, seeking to demonstrate their economic viability. Creole cattle, on the other hand, which are more resilient to climate challenges and diseases due to their rich genetic heritage, are still not considered an efficient option by local producers—putting them at risk of homogenization or extinction.
By highlighting and analyzing the reasons behind the different choices and directions that meat production is taking in some of the major meat-exporting countries in South America, the project contributes to the debate on the consequences of local policies and global forces for the organization of food production in the contemporary world. In particular, it aims to show the cultural elements that underpin current forms of bovine-making within the industrial complex.

Photographing cattle on fieldwork, Southern Brasil

Taking notes on fieldwork with Angus, Colombia

Posing with the winning creole bull, Colombia

Cow in a Paraguayan family farm

Office of the Angus breed association, Brasil

Criole cattle from Patagonia in La Rural fair, Buenos Aires

Panel on cattle-humans relations at RAM (2025)

Roundtable on cattle-human relations at RAM (2025)

Inaugural event - cowdom