Women’s Food Sharing in Siberia: Social Network Analyses by Frequencies of Transfers versus Values and Amounts Given

• Main Author: Fulk, Karen
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: ScholarWorks 2018
• Subjects: Taimyr; Tundra; Siberia
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/under_conf_2018/105

This paper considers informal household networks by which tundra foods are distributed in Ust’-Avam, Taimyr Region, Russia. The majority of families in Ust’-Avam rely upon subsistence hunting, fishing, and trapping for their livelihood. Variation in hunting ability and interest in hunting create inequalities in local food production. Interhousehold food sharing is widespread and helps buffer consumption risk in particularly vulnerable households. This paper will compare results of analysis of previously unpublished data on the interhousehold food sharing by a sample of women in the community. The food transfers involved are portions of meat and fish transferred to the women from producers or intermediaries. This paper will compare the results of social network analysis of frequencies of transfers versus amounts of food transferred, and considers the nutritional values of food transfers (total calories, protein and fat content values) and calculated monetary valuations. This research provides another opportunity to examine the effects of variables that relate back to the widely debated explanatory hypotheses of food sharing.