Kurzbeschreibung
The nyamakalaw, a major professional class of artists and other occupationally defined specialists among the Mande-speaking peoples of West Africa, play powerful roles in Mande society. Yet they remain its most misunderstood social group. Constituting endogamous lineages, blacksmiths, potters, leatherworkers, and bards are accorded a special but ambiguous status apart from the rest of Mande society. In an effort to distinguish the misconceptions of outsiders from the ambiguity of the social reality, this book critiques Western perceptions of nyamakalaw that led to the colonial construction of the Mande 'caste' system.Going beyond the colonial model, the contributors explore the dynamic status and identity of the nyamakalaw, the history of this phenomenon in various Mande contexts, and the role of individuals in its development in time and space. From a wide variety of interdisciplinary perspectives, the authors begin to reconstruct the social and cultural history of nyamakalaw. The contributors are Charles S. Bird, David C. Conrad, Barbara E. Frank, Barbara G. Hoffman, Cheick Mahamadou Ch rif Keita, Martha B. Kendall, Robert Launay, Adria LaViolette, Patrick R.McNaughton, Tal Tamari, and Kalilou Tera.
Synopsis
The nyamakalaw, a major professional class of artists and other occupationally defined specialists among the Mande-speaking peoples of West Africa, play powerful roles in Mande society. Yet they remain its most misunderstood social group. Constituting endogamous lineages, blacksmiths, potters, leatherworkers, and bards are accorded a special but ambiguous status apart from the rest of Mande society. In an effort to distinguish the misconceptions of outsiders from the ambiguity of the social reality, this book critiques Western perceptions of nyamakalaw that led to the colonial construction of the Mande 'caste' system.Going beyond the colonial model, the contributors explore the dynamic status and identity of the nyamakalaw, the history of this phenomenon in various Mande contexts, and the role of individuals in its development in time and space. From a wide variety of interdisciplinary perspectives, the authors begin to reconstruct the social and cultural history of nyamakalaw. The contributors are Charles S. Bird, David C. Conrad, Barbara E. Frank, Barbara G. Hoffman, Cheick Mahamadou Ch rif Keita, Martha B. Kendall, Robert Launay, Adria LaViolette, Patrick R.McNaughton, Tal Tamari, and Kalilou Tera.
