"In the tradition of Michel Foucault's work, Rosa de Jorio's book represents a fascinating analysis of the politics of cultural heritage in Mali in the context of the privatization of cultural initiatives and the rise of fundamentalist Islam."
Jean-Loup Amselle, author of Branchements: Anthropologie de l'universalité des cultures "A marvelous text. De Jorio not only discusses the cultural ramifications of 'heritage' ... Read morein Mali, but considers it in the wake of Islamist and Tuareg rebellions in the north. She demonstrates powerfully how cultural heritage implicates questions of religious practice as they relate to the exercise of power."
Paul Stoller, author of Yaya's Story: The Quest for Well-Being in the World "De Jorio elegantly shows how notions of 'heritage' have been deployed and contested by Malian politicians, by foreign NGOs and especially UNESCO, and of course by different segments of the Malian population who are always the targets and sometimes the victims of 'heritage' politics."
Robert Launay, author of Traders without Trade: Responses to Change in Two Dyula Communities "A much anticipated, fascinating, and timely account of the contested politics of public culture in a time of turbulent and sometimes violent change in Mali. . . . The book fascinates with its dexterous application of social thought and theory."
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