Ethnographic Sorcery

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Ethnographic Sorcery

Harry G. West
Ethnographic Sorcery Book PDF

Author : Harry G. West
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 295 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2008-09-15
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780226894126

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Ethnographic Sorcery by Harry G. West Pdf

According to the people of the Mueda plateau in northern Mozambique, sorcerers remake the world by asserting the authority of their own imaginative visions of it. While conducting research among these Muedans, anthropologist Harry G. West made a revealing discovery—for many of them, West’s efforts to elaborate an ethnographic vision of their world was itself a form of sorcery. In Ethnographic Sorcery, West explores the fascinating issues provoked by this equation. A key theme of West’s research into sorcery is that one sorcerer’s claims can be challenged or reversed by other sorcerers. After West’s attempt to construct a metaphorical interpretation of Muedan assertions that the lions prowling their villages are fabricated by sorcerers is disputed by his Muedan research collaborators, West realized that ethnography and sorcery indeed have much in common. Rather than abandoning ethnography, West draws inspiration from this connection, arguing that anthropologists, along with the people they study, can scarcely avoid interpreting the world they inhabit, and that we are all, inescapably, ethnographic sorcerers.

Ethnographic Sorcery

Harry G. West
Ethnographic Sorcery Book PDF

Author : Harry G. West
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 146 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 2007-05-01
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0226893987

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Ethnographic Sorcery by Harry G. West Pdf

According to the people of the Mueda plateau in northern Mozambique, sorcerers remake the world by asserting the authority of their own imaginative visions of it. While conducting research among these Muedans, anthropologist Harry G. West made a revealing discovery—for many of them, West’s efforts to elaborate an ethnographic vision of their world was itself a form of sorcery. In Ethnographic Sorcery, West explores the fascinating issues provoked by this equation. A key theme of West’s research into sorcery is that one sorcerer’s claims can be challenged or reversed by other sorcerers. After West’s attempt to construct a metaphorical interpretation of Muedan assertions that the lions prowling their villages are fabricated by sorcerers is disputed by his Muedan research collaborators, West realized that ethnography and sorcery indeed have much in common. Rather than abandoning ethnography, West draws inspiration from this connection, arguing that anthropologists, along with the people they study, can scarcely avoid interpreting the world they inhabit, and that we are all, inescapably, ethnographic sorcerers.

Ethnographic Sorcery

Harry G. West
Ethnographic Sorcery Book PDF

Author : Harry G. West
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2007-06-01
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 0226893979

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Ethnographic Sorcery by Harry G. West Pdf

According to the people of the Mueda plateau in northern Mozambique, sorcerers remake the world by asserting the authority of their own imaginative visions of it. While conducting research among these Muedans, anthropologist Harry G. West made a revealing discovery—for many of them, West’s efforts to elaborate an ethnographic vision of their world was itself a form of sorcery. In Ethnographic Sorcery, West explores the fascinating issues provoked by this equation. A key theme of West’s research into sorcery is that one sorcerer’s claims can be challenged or reversed by other sorcerers. After West’s attempt to construct a metaphorical interpretation of Muedan assertions that the lions prowling their villages are fabricated by sorcerers is disputed by his Muedan research collaborators, West realized that ethnography and sorcery indeed have much in common. Rather than abandoning ethnography, West draws inspiration from this connection, arguing that anthropologists, along with the people they study, can scarcely avoid interpreting the world they inhabit, and that we are all, inescapably, ethnographic sorcerers.

Kupilikula

Harry G. West
Kupilikula Book PDF

Author : Harry G. West
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 391 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2005-09-05
Category : History
ISBN : 9780226894058

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Kupilikula by Harry G. West Pdf

On the Mueda plateau in northern Mozambique, sorcerers are said to feed on their victims, sometimes "making" lions or transforming into lions to literally devour their flesh. When the ruling FRELIMO party subscribed to socialism, it condemned sorcery beliefs and counter-sorcery practices as false consciousness, but since undertaking neoliberal reform, the party—still in power after three electoral cycles—has "tolerated tradition," leaving villagers to interpret and engage with events in the idiom of sorcery. Now, when the lions prowl plateau villages ,suspected sorcerers are often lynched. In this historical ethnography of sorcery, Harry G. West draws on a decade of fieldwork and combines the perspectives of anthropology and political science to reveal how Muedans expect responsible authorities to monitor the invisible realm of sorcery and to overturn or, as Muedans call it, "kupilikula" sorcerers' destructive attacks by practicing a constructive form of counter-sorcery themselves. Kupilikula argues that, where neoliberal policies have fostered social division rather than security and prosperity, Muedans have, in fact, used sorcery discourse to assess and sometimes overturn reforms, advancing alternative visions of a world transformed.

In Darkness and Secrecy

Neil L. Whitehead,Robin Wright
In Darkness and Secrecy Book PDF

Author : Neil L. Whitehead,Robin Wright
Publisher : Duke University Press
Page : 337 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2004-06-03
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9780822385837

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In Darkness and Secrecy by Neil L. Whitehead,Robin Wright Pdf

In Darkness and Secrecy brings together ethnographic examinations of Amazonian assault sorcery, witchcraft, and injurious magic, or “dark shamanism.” Anthropological reflections on South American shamanism have tended to emphasize shamans’ healing powers and positive influence. This collection challenges that assumption by showing that dark shamans are, in many Amazonian cultures, quite different from shamanic healers and prophets. Assault sorcery, in particular, involves violence resulting in physical harm or even death. While highlighting the distinctiveness of such practices, In Darkness and Secrecy reveals them as no less relevant to the continuation of culture and society than curing and prophecy. The contributors suggest that the persistence of dark shamanism can be understood as a form of engagement with modernity. These essays, by leading anthropologists of South American shamanism, consider assault sorcery as it is practiced in parts of Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela, and Peru. They analyze the social and political dynamics of witchcraft and sorcery and their relation to cosmology, mythology, ritual, and other forms of symbolic violence and aggression in each society studied. They also discuss the relations of witchcraft and sorcery to interethnic contact and the ways that shamanic power may be co-opted by the state. In Darkness and Secrecy includes reflections on the ethical and practical implications of ethnographic investigation of violent cultural practices. Contributors. Dominique Buchillet, Carlos Fausto, Michael Heckenberger, Elsje Lagrou, E. Jean Langdon, George Mentore, Donald Pollock, Fernando Santos-Granero, Pamela J. Stewart, Andrew Strathern, Márnio Teixeira-Pinto, Silvia Vidal, Neil L. Whitehead, Johannes Wilbert, Robin Wright

In Sorcery's Shadow

Paul Stoller,Cheryl Olkes
In Sorcery s Shadow Book PDF

Author : Paul Stoller,Cheryl Olkes
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 255 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2013-08-09
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780226098296

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In Sorcery's Shadow by Paul Stoller,Cheryl Olkes Pdf

The tale of Paul Stoller's sojourn among sorcerors in the Republic of Niger is a story of growth and change, of mutual respect and understanding that will challenge all who read it to plunge deeply into an alien world.

Witchcraft, Sorcery, Rumors and Gossip

Pamela J. Stewart,Andrew Strathern
Witchcraft Sorcery Rumors and Gossip Book PDF

Author : Pamela J. Stewart,Andrew Strathern
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 248 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 052100473X

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Witchcraft, Sorcery, Rumors and Gossip by Pamela J. Stewart,Andrew Strathern Pdf

This book combines two classic topics in social anthropology in a new synthesis: the study of witchcraft and sorcery and the study of rumors and gossip. First, it shows how rumor and gossip are invariably important as catalysts for accusations of witchcraft and sorcery. Second, it demonstrates the role of rumor and gossip in the genesis of social and political violence, as in the case of both peasant rebellions and witch-hunts. Examples supporting the argument are drawn from Africa, Europe, India, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia.

The Sorcerer's Burden

Paul Stoller
The Sorcerer s Burden Book PDF

Author : Paul Stoller
Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2016-10-05
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 3319318047

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The Sorcerer's Burden by Paul Stoller Pdf

This book emerges from the author's 35 years of research and thought about the Songhay people of Niger. This ethnographic novel follows the life of Omar Dia, the oldest son of a West African sorcerer. When his father falls ill and dies, the great sorcerer vomits a small metal chain onto his chest. Following the path of his ancestors, Omar swallows the chain, becoming his father's successor, which means that he takes on the sorcerer's burden. The book also describes how custodians of traditional knowledge are creatively adapting to the forces of globalization—all in a highly accessible narrative text.

Witchcraft, Sorcery and Social Categories Among the Safwa

Alan Harwood
Witchcraft Sorcery and Social Categories Among the Safwa Book PDF

Author : Alan Harwood
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 182 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2018-08-16
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780429950629

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Witchcraft, Sorcery and Social Categories Among the Safwa by Alan Harwood Pdf

Originally published in 1970, this book explores the role of concepts of disease in the social life of the Safwa of Tanzania, particularly through beliefs concerning witchcraft and sorcery. Examining Safwa ideas about the cuasation of disease and death and the use of aetiological terms in actual cases, it demonstrates a parallel between these ideas and terms, on the one hand and the Safwa system of social categories on the other. A descrption of the Safwa environment, way of life and social system is followed by an account of the concepts of death and disease and of their causes as revealed in ancestor rites, divination and autopsy. An analysis of case histories demonstrates that the cause assigned to a particular instance of illness or death depends upon the status relationship between discputing parties who are associated with the patient. The way in which the parallel between aetiological and social categoeis helps to control the outcome of disputes is also examined.

The Taste of Ethnographic Things

Paul Stoller
The Taste of Ethnographic Things Book PDF

Author : Paul Stoller
Publisher : University of Pennsylvania Press
Page : 199 pages
File Size : 55,6 Mb
Release : 2010-11-24
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780812203141

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The Taste of Ethnographic Things by Paul Stoller Pdf

Anthropologists who have lost their senses write ethnographies that are often disconnected from the worlds they seek to portray. For most anthropologists, Stoller contends, tasteless theories are more important than the savory sauces of ethnographic life. That they have lost the smells, sounds, and tastes of the places they study is unfortunate for them, for their subjects, and for the discipline itself. The Taste of Ethnographic Things describes how, through long-term participation in the lives of the Songhay of Niger, Stoller eventually came to his senses. Taken together, the separate chapters speak to two important and integrated issues. The first is methodological—all the chapters demonstrate the rewards of long-term study of a culture. The second issue is how he became truer to the Songhay through increased sensual awareness.

Sorcery in Mesoamerica

Jeremy D. Coltman,John M. D. Pohl
Sorcery in Mesoamerica Book PDF

Author : Jeremy D. Coltman,John M. D. Pohl
Publisher : University Press of Colorado
Page : 422 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2020-12-16
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781607329459

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Sorcery in Mesoamerica by Jeremy D. Coltman,John M. D. Pohl Pdf

Approaching sorcery as highly rational and rooted in significant social and cultural values, Sorcery in Mesoamerica examines and reconstructs the original indigenous logic behind it, analyzing manifestations from the Classic Maya to the ethnographic present. While the topic of sorcery and witchcraft in anthropology is well developed in other areas of the world, it has received little academic attention in Mexico and Central America until now. In each chapter, preeminent scholars of ritual and belief ask very different questions about what exactly sorcery is in Mesoamerica. Contributors consider linguistic and visual aspects of sorcery and witchcraft, such as the terminology in Aztec semantics and dictionaries of the Kaqchiquel and K’iche’ Maya. Others explore the practice of sorcery and witchcraft, including the incorporation by indigenous sorcerers in the Mexican highlands of European perspectives and practices into their belief system. Contributors also examine specific deities, entities, and phenomena, such as the pantheistic Nahua spirit entities called forth to assist healers and rain makers, the categorization of Classic Maya Wahy (“co-essence”) beings, the cult of the Aztec goddess Cihuacoatl, and the recurring relationship between female genitalia and the magical conjuring of a centipede throughout Mesoamerica. Placing the Mesoamerican people in a human context—as engaged in a rational and logical system of behavior—Sorcery inMesoamerica is the first comprehensive study of the subject and an invaluable resource for students and scholars of Mesoamerican culture and religion. Contributors: Lilián González Chévez, John F. Chuchiak IV, Jeremy D. Coltman, Roberto Martínez González, Oswaldo Chinchilla Mazariegos, Cecelia F. Klein, Timothy J. Knab, John Monaghan, Jesper Nielsen, John M. D. Pohl, Alan R. Sandstrom, Pamela Effrein Sandstrom, David Stuart

Engaged Anthropology

Stuart Kirsch
Engaged Anthropology Book PDF

Author : Stuart Kirsch
Publisher : Univ of California Press
Page : 322 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2018-03-30
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9780520297944

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Engaged Anthropology by Stuart Kirsch Pdf

Does anthropology have more to offer than just its texts? In this timely and remarkable book, Stuart Kirsch shows how anthropology can—and why it should—become more engaged with the problems of the world. Engaged Anthropology draws on the author’s experiences working with indigenous peoples fighting for their environment, land rights, and political sovereignty. Including both short interventions and collaborations spanning decades, it recounts interactions with lawyers and courts, nongovernmental organizations, scientific experts, and transnational corporations. This unflinchingly honest account addresses the unexamined “backstage” of engaged anthropology. Coming at a time when some question the viability of the discipline, the message of this powerful and original work is especially welcome, as it not only promotes a new way of doing anthropology, but also compellingly articulates a new rationale for why anthropology matters.

Witchcraft and Sorcery in Rhodesia

J. R. Crawford
Witchcraft and Sorcery in Rhodesia Book PDF

Author : J. R. Crawford
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 324 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2018-08-16
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781351009225

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Witchcraft and Sorcery in Rhodesia by J. R. Crawford Pdf

Originally published in 1967, this book is a study of witchcraft and sorcery among the Shona, Ndebele and Kalanga peoples of Zimbabwe. It analyses in their social context verbatim evidence and confessions from a comprehensive series of judicial records. It provides the first systematic demonstration of the importance and the exstent to which such sources can be used to make a detailed analysis of the character and range of beliefs and motives. The main emphasis is on witchcraft and sorcery beliefs, the nature of accusations, confessions and divination, btoh traditional and as practised by members of the Pentecostal Church.

Violent Becomings

Bjørn Enge Bertelsen
Violent Becomings Book PDF

Author : Bjørn Enge Bertelsen
Publisher : Berghahn Books
Page : 360 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2016-08-01
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781785332371

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Violent Becomings by Bjørn Enge Bertelsen Pdf

Violent Becomings conceptualizes the Mozambican state not as the bureaucratically ordered polity of the nation-state, but as a continuously emergent and violently challenged mode of ordering. In doing so, this book addresses the question of why colonial and postcolonial state formation has involved violent articulations with so-called ‘traditional’ forms of sociality. The scope and dynamic nature of such violent becomings is explored through an array of contexts that include colonial regimes of forced labor and pacification, liberation war struggles and civil war, the social engineering of the post-independence state, and the popular appropriation of sovereign violence in riots and lynchings.

Kuru Sorcery

Shirley Lindenbaum
Kuru Sorcery Book PDF

Author : Shirley Lindenbaum
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 2015-12-03
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781317264729

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Kuru Sorcery by Shirley Lindenbaum Pdf

Perhaps the best-documented epidemic in the history of medicine, kuru has been studied for more than fifty years by international investigators from medicine and the human sciences. This significantly revised edition of the landmark anthropological classic Kuru Sorcery brings up to date the anthropological contribution to understanding disease, the medical research that resulted in two medical Nobel Prizes, and the views of the Fore people who endured the epidemic and who still believe that sorcerers, rather than cannibalism, caused kuru. The kuru epidemic serves as a prism through which to see how Fore notions of disease causation bring into single focus their views about the body, the world of social and spiritual relations, and changes in economic and political conditions-aspects of thought and behaviour that Western medicine keeps separate.