In Amazonian societies, autonomy is said to be a core value motivating egalitarian politics. This article shows how the quest for autonomy and productiveness presently sets in motion processes that encroach upon these very values. Among the Shuar of Amazonian Ecuador, the realization of autonomy and productiveness increasingly depends on the capture of state resources. Shuar interact with the local state as members of relatively recent sedentary communities and through the mediation of elected leaders. In these processes, ‘community’ itself is transformed: being a channel to regenerate domestic livelihoods, it also becomes an end in itself, giving rise to new economistic attitudes while legitimizing inequalities between commoners and leaders. The article suggests that the pursuit of autonomy and productiveness within a process of village formation is central to the transformation of egalitarianism that occurs when small-scale Amazonian polities engage with nation-state politics.

中文翻译：

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自治、生产力和社区：亚马逊社会不平等的加剧

在亚马逊社会，自治被认为是推动平等政治的核心价值。本文展示了目前对自主性和生产力的追求如何启动侵蚀这些价值的过程。在亚马逊厄瓜多尔的舒尔人中，自治和生产力的实现越来越依赖于对国家资源的获取。Shuar与当地国家互动，作为相对近期久坐社区的成员，并通过选举领导者的调解。在这些过程中，“社区”本身发生了转变：作为恢复家庭生计的渠道，它本身也成为目的，产生新的经济态度，同时使平民和领导人之间的不平等合法化。