Witchcraft, Witches, and Violence in Ghana (eBook)

Mensah Adinkrah (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2015
338 Seiten
Berghahn Books (Verlag)
978-1-78238-561-5 (ISBN)

Infos

Witchcraft violence is a feature of many contemporary African societies. In Ghana, belief in witchcraft and the malignant activities of putative witches is prevalent. Purported witches are blamed for all manner of adversities including inexplicable illnesses and untimely deaths. As in other historical periods and other societies, in contemporary Ghana, alleged witches are typically female, elderly, poor, and marginalized. Childhood socialization in homes and schools, exposure to mass media, and other institutional mechanisms ensure that witchcraft beliefs are transmitted across generations and entrenched over time. This book provides a detailed account of Ghanaian witchcraft beliefs and practices and their role in fueling violent attacks on alleged witches by aggrieved individuals and vigilante groups.

Autor

Mensah Adinkrah, Ph.D., is Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Central Michigan University. He was a U.S. Fulbright scholar to Ghana and has held positions at University of the South Pacific and Metropolitan State University. Adinkrah is author of Crime, Deviance & Delinquency in Fiji (1995), Violent Encounters: A Study of Homicide Patterns in Fiji (1996), and numerous scholarly articles.

Inhalt

List of Figures
Acknowledgments

Introduction: Witchcraft Violence in Comparative Perspective

Chapter 1. Ghana: The Research Setting
Chapter 2. Witchcraft Beliefs in Ghana
Chapter 3. Socialization into Witchcraft Beliefs
Chapter 4. Witchcraft Themes in Popular Ghanaian Music
Chapter 5. Witchcraft Imagery in Akan Proverbs
Chapter 6. Witchcraft Trials in Ghanaian Courts
Chapter 7. Witch Killings
Chapter 8. Non-Lethal Treatment of Alleged Witches
Chapter 9. Gendered Victimization: Patriarchy, Misogyny, and Gynophobia

Conclusion: Curbing Witchcraft-Related Violence in Ghana

Bibliography
Index

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 1.8.2015
• Verlagsort: New York
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Gesundheit / Leben / Psychologie ► Esoterik / Spiritualität
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie ► Weitere Religionen
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Ethnologie
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Pädagogik
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie
• Schlagworte: Anthropology (General), Anthropology of Religion, Gender Studies and Sexuality • General Anthropology
• ISBN-10: 1-78238-561-4 / 1782385614
• ISBN-13: 978-1-78238-561-5 / 9781782385615