The Modernity of Witchcraft: Politics and the Occult in Postcolonial Africa

by Peter Geschiere

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In the Modernity of Witchcraft, Peter Geschiere 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. Geschiere explores why modern techniques and commodities, usually of Western provenance, have become central in rumors of the occult.
  • ISBN13 9780813917023
  • Publish Date 29 April 1997
  • Publish Status Active
  • Out of Print 9 June 2009
  • Publish Country US
  • Imprint University of Virginia Press
  • Format Hardcover
  • Pages 311
  • Language English