The Modernity of Witchcraft

by Geschiere, Peter; Roitman, Janet

• ISBN13: 9780813917030
• ISBN10: 0813917034
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-06-01
• Publisher: Univ of Virginia Pr

Summary

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 become central in rumors of the occult.

Author Biography

Peter Geschiere is Professor of African Anthropology at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands.

Table of Contents

Preface to the English Language Edition	p. VII
Acknowledgments	p. XI
Introduction: Witchcraft as Political Discourse	p. 1
A Full Belly: The Maka and the Djambe	p. 26
The Variable Faces of Sorcery and Witchcraft	p. 61
Witchcraft and Local Politics: The Dialectics of Equality and Ambition	p. 69
Witchcraft and National Politics: The Paradoxes of the New Elite	p. 97
The Temptations of Power	p. 131
Witchcraft and the Art of Getting Rich: Regional Variations	p. 137
The State Attacks: A Judiciary Offensive against Witches	p. 169
Balance	p. 198
Afterword: The Meanderings of Anthropological Discourse on Witchcraft	p. 215
Notes	p. 225
Bibliography	p. 283
Index	p. 301
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