Witchcraft, Violence, and Democracy in South Africa by Adam Ashforth (English) P

Description: Witchcraft, Violence, and Democracy in South Africa by Adam Ashforth How does democracy fare when the people governed insist they live in a world with witches? If the government of a people afflicted by witchcraft refuses to punish witches, how does it avoid becoming alienated from the perceived needs of its people or, worse, seen as being in league with witches? In Soweto, South Africa, the constant threat of violent crime, the increase in black socio-economic inequality, the AIDS pandemic, and a widespread fear of witchcraft have converged to create a pervasive sense of insecurity among citizens and a unique public policy problem for government.In "Witchcraft, Violence, and Democracy in South Africa," Adam Ashforth examines how people in Soweto and other parts of post-apartheid South Africa manage their fear of 'evil forces' such as witchcraft. Ashforth examines the dynamics of insecurity in the everyday life of Soweto at the turn of the twenty-first century. He develops a new framework for understanding occult violence as a form of spiritual insecurity and documents new patterns of interpretation attributing agency to evil forces. Finally, he analyzes the response of post-apartheid governments to issues of spiritual insecurity and suggests how these matters pose severe long-term challenges to the legitimacy of the democratic state. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description How does democracy fare when the people governed insist they live in a world with witches? If the government of a people afflicted by witchcraft refuses to punish witches, how does it avoid becoming alienated from the perceived needs of its people or, worse, seen as being in league with witches? In Soweto, South Africa, the constant threat of violent crime, the increase in black socio-economic inequality, the AIDS pandemic, and a widespread fear of witchcraft have converged to create a pervasive sense of insecurity among citizens and a unique public policy problem for government.In Witchcraft, Violence, and Democracy in South Africa, Adam Ashforth examines how people in Soweto and other parts of post-apartheid South Africa manage their fear of evil forces such as witchcraft. Ashforth examines the dynamics of insecurity in the everyday life of Soweto at the turn of the twenty-first century. He develops a new framework for understanding occult violence as a form of spiritual insecurity and documents new patterns of interpretation attributing agency to evil forces. Finally, he analyzes the response of post-apartheid governments to issues of spiritual insecurity and suggests how these matters pose severe long-term challenges to the legitimacy of the democratic state. Author Biography Adam Ashforth is visiting associate professor in the School of Social Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study. He is the author of two previous books including Madumo, a Man Bewitched, also published by the University of Chicago Press. Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgments A Note on Nomenclature Introduction Part One / Soweto 1. Spiritual Insecurity and Political Power 2. Dimensions of Insecurity in Contemporary Soweto 3. On Living in a World with Witches 4. Freedom, Democracy, and Witchcraft: Soweto in the 1990s 5. On Believing, and Not Believing, in Witchcraft Part Two / Sources of Spiritual Insecurity 6. Poison, Medicine, and the Power of Secret Knowledge 7. Death, Pollution, and the Dangers of Dirt 8. A Brief History of the Spirit World 9. Invisible Beings in Everyday Life 10. Vulnerabilities of the Soul Part Three / Spiritual Insecurity and the State 11. Witchcraft, Violence, and Justice 12. Democratic Statecraft in a World of Witches Epilogue Appendix 1: The Literature on Soweto--a Brief Excursus Appendix 2: The Thohoyandou Declaration on Ending Witchcraft Violence, Issued by the Commission on Gender Equality Selected Bibliography Index Details ISBN0226029743 Author Adam Ashforth Short Title WITCHCRAFT VIOLENCE & DEMOCRAC Pages 376 Language English Edition 2nd ISBN-10 0226029743 ISBN-13 9780226029740 Media Book Format Paperback Illustrations Yes Year 2005 Imprint University of Chicago Press Place of Publication Chicago, IL Country of Publication United States DOI 10.1604/9780226029740 AU Release Date 2005-01-15 NZ Release Date 2005-01-15 US Release Date 2005-01-15 UK Release Date 2005-01-15 Publisher The University of Chicago Press Publication Date 2005-01-15 DEWEY 321.80968 Audience Professional & Vocational We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:161784693;

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