Manhood and Morality: Sex, Violence and Ritual in Gisu Society

by Heald,Suzette

• ISBN13: 9780415185783
• ISBN10: 0415185785
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 1999-03-24
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Manhood and Moralityexplores issues of male identity among the Gisu of Uganda in the context of the moral dilemma faced by men who define themselves in terms of their capacity for violence. Drawing extensively on twenty years of fieldwork experience and informed by psychological theory, Suzette Heald's discussion encompasses circumcision, Oedipal feelings, witchcraft, deviance, joking, sexuality and ethnicity. In examining the power of masculinity to set the moral agenda, this ethnographic study challenges our preconceptions of manhood, especially African virility, inviting a wider re-evaluation of masculinity. The book comprises self-contained sections in which the narrative is contextualized within contemporary debate, providing an engaging and highly readable text.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	ix
Introduction	1	(7)
The making of men: the relevance of vernacular psychology to the interpretation of a Gisu ritual	8	(25)
The ritual use of violence: circumcision among the Gisu of Uganda	33	(14)
Every man a hero: Oedipl themes in Gisu circumcision	47	(26)
Witches and thieves: deviant motivations in Gisu society	73	(17)
Divinatory failure: Gisu diviners and the problem of doubt	90	(19)
Joking and avoidance, hostility and incest: an essay on Gisu moral categories	109	(19)
The power of sex: reflections on the Caldwells' `African sexuality' thesis	128	(18)
Tribal rites and tribal rights	146	(20)
Notes	166	(11)
Bibliography	177	(10)
Index	187