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The Modernity of Witchcraft: Politics and the Occult in Postcolonial Africa
Peter Geschiere
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Description for The Modernity of Witchcraft: Politics and the Occult in Postcolonial Africa
Paperback. This study suggests that the balance in Africa, between the prevalence of witchcraft and the forces of modernity, stems both from obsession with power and from the increasing feeling of powerlessness among the people. It also gives a parallel with aspects of politics in Western democracies. Translator(s): Geschiere, Peter; Roitman, Janet. Num Pages: 368 pages, 1 map. BIC Classification: 1H; HRKT; HRQX5; HRQX9; JHM; JP. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly; (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 229 x 152 x 24. Weight in Grams: 485.
To many Westerners, the disappearance of African traditions of witchcraft might seem inevitable wuth continued modernization. In The Modernity of Witchcraft, Peter Geschieres uses his own experiences among the Maka and in other parts of eastern and southern Cameroon, as well as other anthropological research, to argue that contemporary ideas and practices of witchcraft are more a response to modern exigencies than a lingering cultural custom. The prevalence of witchcraft, especially in African politics and entrepreneurship, demonstrates the unlikely balance it has achieved with the forces of modernity. Geshiere explores why modern techniques and commodities, usually of Western Provenance, have ... Read more
To many Westerners, the disappearance of African traditions of witchcraft might seem inevitable wuth continued modernization. In The Modernity of Witchcraft, Peter Geschieres uses his own experiences among the Maka and in other parts of eastern and southern Cameroon, as well as other anthropological research, to argue that contemporary ideas and practices of witchcraft are more a response to modern exigencies than a lingering cultural custom. The prevalence of witchcraft, especially in African politics and entrepreneurship, demonstrates the unlikely balance it has achieved with the forces of modernity. Geshiere explores why modern techniques and commodities, usually of Western Provenance, have ... Read more
Product Details
Format
Paperback
Publication date
1997
Publisher
University of Virginia Press
Condition
New
Number of Pages
368
Place of Publication
Charlottesville, United States
ISBN
9780813917030
SKU
V9780813917030
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 7 to 11 working days
Ref
99-1
About Peter Geschiere
Peter Geschiere is Professor of African Anthropology at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands. He is the author of Pathways to Accumulation in Cameroon, Old Modes of Production and Capitalist Encroachment, and Village Communties and the State.
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