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Anthropological theories of magic make several claims about the contagious transfer of attributes from object to object and object to person through 'impregnation', 'absorption', and 'penetration'. This article argues that such notions, which emphasize violation of physical space and ontological boundaries, are often incongruent with emic perspectives. For the Batak of Palawan, 'magical efficacy' in rituals is achieved by attuning the properties of objects, powerful words, sounds, and gestures to other sensory qualities of the environment, in relation to a wider spatio‐temporal dimension. Operating from these general premises, I introduce the analytical concept of tool‐sign(s); these are vehicles of both cross‐ontological communication and action on the material world. This notion sheds new light on long‐standing debates about the look and logic of magic.RésuméLes études anthropologiques de la magie évoquent à maintes reprises un transfert de caractère contagieux des attributs d'un objet à un autre ou d'un objet à une personne par « imprégnation », « absorption » ou « pénétration ». L'auteur avance que ces notions, qui mettent l'accent sur une violation de l'espace physique et des frontières ontologiques, ne concordent pas souvent avec les points de vue émiques. Pour les Bataks du Palawan, « l'efficacité magique » des rituels est obtenue en accordant les propriétés des objets, des mots, sons et gestes de puissance aux autres qualités sensorielles de l'environnement, en lien avec une dimension spatiotemporelle plus large. Sur cette base générale, l'article introduit le concept analytique de signe(s)‐outil(s) : il s'agit de véhicules de communication inter‐ontologique aussi bien que d'action sur le monde matériel. Cette notion jette un nouvel éclairage sur les débats de longue date concernant l'aspect et la logique de la magie.

Anthropologists know that conservation often disempowers already under-privileged groups, and that it also fails to protect environments. Through a series of ethnographic studies, this book argues that the real problem is not the disappearance of "pristine nature" or even the land-use practices of uneducated people. Rather, what we know about culturally determined patterns of consumption, production and unequal distribution, suggests that critical attention would be better turned on discourses of "primitiveness" and "pristine nature" so prevalent within conservation ideology, and on the historically formed power and exchange relationships that they help perpetuate

The concept of sustainability holds that the social, economic, and environmental factors within human communities must be viewed interactively and systematically. Sustainable development cannot be understood apart from a community, its ethos, and ways of life. Although broadly conceived, the pursuit of sustainable development is a local practice because every community has different needs and quality of life concerns. Within this framework, contributors representing the disciplines of anthropology, sociology, geography, economics, law, public policy, architecture, and urban studies explore sustainability in communities in the Pacific, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and North America. Contributors: Janet E. Benson, Karla Caser, Snjezana Colic, Angela Ferreira, Johanna Gibson, Krista Harper, Paulo Lana, Barbara Yablon Maida, Carl A. Maida, Kenneth A. Meter, Dario Novellino, Deborah Pellow, Claude Raynaut, Thomas F. Thornton, Richard Westra, Magda Zanoni