Bodies and Persons: Comparative Perspectives from Africa and Melanesia
Full details for this title
| Interest Age |
All ages |
| Reading Age |
All ages |
| Library of Congress |
Body, Human--Social aspects--Africa |
| NBS Text |
Sociology & Anthropology: Professional |
| ONIX Text |
Professional and scholarly |
|
| Number of Pages |
312 |
| Dimensions |
Width: 152mm
Height: 228mm
Spine: 26mm |
| Weight |
630g |
|
| Dewey Code |
306 |
| Catalogue Code |
216867 |
Description of this Book
Large-scale comparisons are out of fashion in anthropology, but this book suggests a bold comparative approach to broad cultural differences between Africa and Melanesia. Its theme is personhood, which is understood in terms of what anthropologists call 'embodiment'. These concepts are applied to questions ranging from the meanings of spirit possession, to the logics of witchcraft and kinship relations, the use of rituals to heal the sick, 'electric vampires', and even the impact of capitalism. There are detailed ethnographic analyses, and suggestive comparisons of classic African and Melanesian ethnographic cases, such as the Nuer and the Melpa. The contributors debate alternative strategies for cross-cultural comparison, and demonstrate that there is a surprising range of continuities, putting in question common assumptions about the huge differences between these two parts of the world.
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Awards & Reviews
| NZ Review |
This is a valuable contribution to comparative ethnography. Religious Studies Review Lambek and Strathern have produced a rich and fascinating volume...This volume should interest all who are concerned with Africa, Melanesia, comparison, person/body, and contemporary anthropological theory. It is an example of what the best of edited volumes should be. Pacific Affairs Winter 01 |
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Author's Bio
There is no author biography for this title.
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