Schism and Continuity in an African Society

Schism and Continuity in an African Society PDF

Author: Victor Turner

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2020-08-20

Total Pages: 401

ISBN-13: 1000324818

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With a new foreword by Bruce Kapferer, Professor of Anthropology, James Cook University- A reprint of the seminal anthropological work of the 1960s. Originally published by Manchester University Press.Victor Turner will be remembered as the anthropologist who developed the concept of the ‘social drama', a method used extensively by anthropologists to describe and analyse the social life of a community. In essence, this technique involves analysing social crises within a community over a period of time in order to gain a better understanding of the key principles that govern the social life of the community.This book -- Turner's first ‘social drama' study -- focuses on the village life of the Ndembu of Zambia who were then under British rule. The social constraints, such as the matrilineally-inherited headmanship system, and the various releases from these constraints, provoked periodic crises which caused great disruption and pain. These crises made visible the contradictions between the principles governing social life and the conflicts experienced between individuals and groups when enforcing these principles. Seven social dramas are discussed - all from one family over a period of twenty years -- each substantiated by sociological and demographic research.

The Continuity of Traditional Values in the African Society

The Continuity of Traditional Values in the African Society PDF

Author: Pauline E. Aligwekwe

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2008-06-05

Total Pages: 515

ISBN-13: 1450081398

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In this stimulating book, an experienced professor of Social and Cultural Anthropology of Africa and a missionary discovers in the Igbò of Nigeria some very positive pre-colonial African philosophy of life and system of thought which blended so well with Christianity that it helped the ancestors survive some of the unwanted colonial upheaval of their days, and are still relevant to our day. The Continuity of Traditional Values in the African Society is a comprehensive work that digs deep and guides us to the essential factors that could help a human group to sustain and preserve its values in the midst of various upheavals through the centuries. In this typical example used, the book penetrates into the fabric of the culture of the ancestors of the Igbò people, their cultural ethos and ideologies and how they fought to defend their culture and traditions in the midst of aggressive and sustained colonial invasion. It gives an overview of the family, lineage and demographic structures, socialization patterns and traits, the socio-economic institution and industry, and the famous direct democracy political setup that would have earned them a particular recognition in the present modern world avid hunger for democracy. The book points dwells also on the religious beliefs, language, concepts and philosophy of life, which were behind their openness to Western possibilities while at the same time they preserved their essential values.

Ezra's Social Drama

Ezra's Social Drama PDF

Author: Donald P. Moffat

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2013-05-09

Total Pages: 233

ISBN-13: 0567601234

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Moffat aims to provide further insight into the mixed marriage narrative by exposing the social and cultural factors on which it is based. He also identifies historical traces in the narrative that can contribute to a historical reconstruction of the post-exilic era. The socio-cultural analysis highlights previously unobserved aspects of the narrative as it understands that the narrative reflects a context in which identity formation issues were prominent in Persian Yehud. Moffat argues that the rituals of mourning and penitential prayer are important acts that shaped the mixed marriage controversy. The label 'foreign women' is identified as a symbol which carried considerable freight and connected the mixed marriages with wider social discourse on identity. Further, the Exodus traditions are shown to be significant for the conceptual foundations underlying the narrative and the society that produced it. The analysis also gives reason to understand Ezra as the pivotal character in narrative plot. This not only affects how the narrative is understood but has implications for historical reconstruction that utilises this narrative.

Forging African Communities

Forging African Communities PDF

Author: Oliver Bakewell

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-11-22

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 1137581948

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This book draws renewed attention to migration into and within Africa, and to the socio-political consequences of these movements. In doing so, it complements vibrant scholarly and political discussions of migrant integration globally with innovative, interdisciplinary perspectives focused on migration within Africa. It sheds new light on how human mobility redefines the meaning of home, community, citizenship and belonging. The authors ask how people’s movements within the continent are forging novel forms of membership while catalysing social change within the communities and countries to which they move and which they have left behind. Original case studies from across Africa question the concepts, actors, and social trajectories dominant in the contemporary literature. Moreover, it speaks to and challenges sociological debates over the nature of migrant integration, debates largely shaped by research in the world’s wealthy regions. The text, in part or as a whole, will appeal to students and scholars of migration, development, urban and rural transformation, African studies and displacement.

African Military History

African Military History PDF

Author: John Lamphear

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-05-15

Total Pages: 600

ISBN-13: 1351960377

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This collection of essays on pre-colonial sub-Saharan African military history is drawn from a number of academic journals and includes some which are considered milestones in African historiographical discourse, as well as others which, while lesser known, provide remarkable insight into the unique nature of African military history. Selections were made so as to produce an introduction to the understudied field of pre-colonial African military history that will be useful to specialists and non-specialists alike. The volume also contains an introduction which presents one of the first significant reviews of pre-colonial African military historiography ever attempted.

Continuities (Routledge Revivals)

Continuities (Routledge Revivals) PDF

Author: Sir Frank Kermode

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-10-14

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 1317555716

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Continuities, first published in 1968, is a collection of reviews by Frank Kermode that appeared from 1962 to 1967. Kermode discusses a variety of novelists, poets, and critics, including T. S. Eliot, Northrop Frye, Wallace Stevens, Edmund Wilson, and Wallace Stevens. History and politics are two important aspects that are discussed in regards to these writers. This book is ideal for students of English literature.