Description: The Sacred Void Spatial Images of Work and Ritual among the Giriama of Kenya David Parkin shows how indigenous African rites and beliefs may be reworked to accommodate a variety of economic systems. David Parkin (Author) 9780521404662, Cambridge University Press Hardback, published 26 July 1991 284 pages 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.59 kg 'Parkin's knowledge of East African societies is second to none … As with his previous works, it contributes significantly to our understanding of the complexities of change in modern Africa.' Man In this innovative study, David Parkin shows how indigenous African rites and beliefs may be reworked to accommodate a variety of economic systems, new spatial and ecological relations between communities, and the locally variable influences of Islam and Christianity. The Giriama people of Kenya include pastoralists living in the hinterland; farmers, who work land closer to the coast; and migrants, who earn money as labourers or fishermen on the coast itself. Wherever they live, they revere an ancient and formerly fortified capital, located in the pastoralist hinterland, which few of them ever see or visit. Their different perspectives sometimes conflict, but together provide a shifting idea of the sacred place. As the site of occasional large-scale ceremonies, moreover, the settlement becomes especially important at times of national crisis. It then acts as a moral core of Giriama society, and a symbolic defence against total domination and assimilation. Preface Introduction 1. Fantasies of the West 2. Western Kaya, sacred centre 3. View from the west: cattle and co-operation 4. From west to east: the works of marriage 5. Spanning west and east: dances of death 6. Alternative authorities: incest and fertility 7. Alternative selves: invasions and cure 8. Coastal desires and the person as centre Conclusion Appendices Bibliography Index. Subject Areas: Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography [JHMC]
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BIC Subject Area 1: Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography [JHMC]
Book Title: The Sacred Void
ISBN: 0521404665
Publication Date: 26/07/1991
Item Depth: 19
Number of Pages: 284 Pages
Language: English
Publication Name: The Sacred Void: Spatial Images of Work and Ritual Among the Giriama of Kenya
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication Year: 1991
Subject: Anthropology
Item Height: 229 mm
Item Weight: 590 g
Type: Textbook
Author: David Parkin
Series: Cambridge Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology
Item Width: 152 mm
Format: Hardcover
