Title: Economic anthropology insight: narratives of livelihood exploration from fieldwork experience in Goderich-Sierra Leone

Authors: Emerson Abraham Jackson

Addresses: Department of African Studies and Anthropology, University of Birmingham, UK

Abstract: This qualitative research championed through participant observation has made it possible for thought-provoking views to be explored in understanding residents' reason(s) for adopting identified strategies in diversifying their sustained state of well-being. The field exercise, which was undertaken in Goderich has provided simplified narratives of the community's historical background, with concerns about livelihood choices and risks to the environmental. The study outcome shows that the pursuit of exploring livelihood choices is detrimental to the environment owing to voracious activities like sand-mining and stone-quarrying people utilise to sustain lives. The study concludes, with some proffered suggestions the importance of building transforming structures through means of effective regulations or policies to minimise destruction to the environment, with implications for climate change. Finally, the study outcome also recommends the embracement of identified/specific strategies to improve well-being - incorporating various attributes aimed at combating vulnerabilities associated with the over-exploitation of livelihood assets in Goderich.

Keywords: economic anthropology; field work narratives; economic life; peri-urban; Goderich-Sierra Leone.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSSOC.2023.132889

International Journal of Sustainable Society, 2023 Vol.15 No.3, pp.225 - 238

Received: 03 Nov 2021
Received in revised form: 21 May 2022
Accepted: 12 Oct 2022
Published online: 14 Aug 2023 *

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