Daughters of Seclusion: The Revelation of the Ibibio «Fattened Bride» as the Icon of Beauty and Power: 29 (Black Studies and Critical Thinking) - Softcover

Imeh, Imo Nse

Softcover

ISBN 10: 143311531X ISBN 13: 9781433115318

Publisher: Peter Lang Publishing Inc, 2012

Synopsis

This groundbreaking book analyzes the extent to which feminine ideals of beauty, power, and spirituality in southern Nigeria translate into unique demonstrations of corporeality, extravagance, transfiguration, and wellness. Considering a culture of ceremonial seclusion, fatness, decoration, and identity construction as it is revealed through mbopo, a mysterious ritual practiced in Ibibioland, Nigeria, this work seeks to isolate a visual aesthetic that is specific to Ibibio and Cross River cultures. Through the analysis of regional aesthetic forms, Daughters of Seclusion addresses the connections between mbopo ritual and larger conceptions of aesthetics, artistry, and literacy in Ibibio provinces. Its cross-disciplinary analysis fuses West African women’s studies and art history to discuss nuances in modes of female representation and conceptualization in Ibibio art and life.

About this title

About the Author

Imo Nse Imeh is Assistant Professor of Art and Art History at Westfield State University. He received his doctorate in Art History from Yale University, where he studied the art and aesthetics of the African Diaspora. He is a practicing artist as well as a researcher, and although he is American-born, Imeh’s Ibibio heritage – his parents hail from Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria – has become a central point of reference and contemplation in both his art and scholarship. Presently, he is developing a series of paintings that are the visual embodiment of his research.

Edition details

• Publisher: Peter Lang Publishing Inc
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 143311531X
• ISBN 13: 9781433115318
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336