Definitions for "Pastoralism"
the domestication of animals, pastoralists are also called herders
a form of social organization based on herding.
Food-getting is based directly or indirectly on the maintenance of domesticated animals.
the style of creating a nostalgic picture of harmony and innocence of the life of rural people in an perfect natural environment. Exemplified in London's Sonoma ranch stories, such as Burning Daylight or The Valley of the Moon.
A cultural outlook that values (or at least sympathizes with) the disciplines and routines of rural living over those of urban life. In pastoral literature the author typically adopts the perspective of a country dweller in order to expose the numerous shams, absurdities, and nuisances of life in the city or the court. Examples of traditional pastoral include Virgil's Eclogues and Spenser's The Shepherde's Calendar. Pastoral elements can also be found in Walden and "Leaves of Grass."