Embodying Colonial Memories: Spirit Possession, Power, and the Hauka in West Africa

Stoller, Paul

ISBN 10: 0415908779 / ISBN 13: 9780415908771

Published by Routledge, 1995

Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0415908779I4N10

Synopsis:

A study of the West African Hauka - spirits that grotesquely mimic and mock "Europeans" of the colonial epoch. The author considers spirit possession as a set of embodied practices with serious social and cultural consequences. Embodying Colonial Memories is the first in-depth study of the West African Hauka, spirits in the body of (human) mediums which mimic and mock Europeans of the colonial epoch. Paul Stoller, who was initiated into a spirit possession troupe, recounts an insider's tale of the Hauka with respect and "brotherly" deference. He combines narrative description, historical analysis, and reflections on the importance of embodiment and mimesis to social theory, with particular reference to the Songhay peoples of the Republic of Niger.

About the Author:

Paul Stoller is Professor of Anthropology at West Chester University. He is the author of In Sorcery's Shadow (1987), Fusion of the Worlds (1989), The Taste ofEthnographic Things (1989) and The Cinematic Griot. He is currently conducting research among West African street vendors in New York City.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Embodying Colonial Memories: Spirit ...
Publisher: Routledge
Publication Date: 1995
Binding: Paperback
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket