Bodywork: Dress As Cultural Tool (African Social Studies Series)

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION......Page 13
The Diola......Page 17
. . . their dress......Page 21
. . . and their demeanour......Page 23
Structure of this study......Page 25
The scope of the study: dress as a cultural tool......Page 27
The fieldwork......Page 29
1. Introduction......Page 31
The language of clothes: the similarities . . .......Page 32
. . . and the differences......Page 34
Dress as a category of material culture: McCracken and Miller......Page 36
Dress in Africa: the experience of the dressed body......Page 42
Mauss, body techniques and body language......Page 46
Douglas, Foucault and Elias......Page 50
The understanding body: Foley and Johnson......Page 53
Bourdieu and the notion of habitus......Page 55
Habitus and practical sense......Page 58
Habitus and the power of dress......Page 61
The flexibility of dress......Page 65
4. This study: Jackson and lighting a fire......Page 66
1. Introduction......Page 71
The inhabitants of the Basse Casamance......Page 72
The religions of the Basse Casamance......Page 74
Kinship......Page 76
Gender......Page 77
Age......Page 78
The main features of Diola religion......Page 79
2. Historical background: 1500–1800......Page 80
3. The nineteenth century and the origins of Diola identity......Page 84
Trade with the Basse Casamance......Page 86
Christianity in the Basse Casamance......Page 88
Islamic influence in the Basse Casamance......Page 91
4a. Political developments......Page 93
4b. Economic developments......Page 96
4c. Religious developments......Page 99
Conversion to Islam on the north bank......Page 100
Conversion to Christianity on the south bank......Page 102
5. Diola identity today......Page 104
1. Introduction......Page 107
The villagers: Belle and Mundung......Page 109
2. Worldview in Samatite......Page 113
Emitai: harmony and continuity......Page 114
The pagne noir, symbol of continuity......Page 115
The spirit shrines: attitudes to disease and death......Page 120
The body and the invisible world: disease and diagnosis......Page 121
The sustainable economy: delimited technology and work as vocation......Page 122
The limitation of technology......Page 124
Work as vocation......Page 125
The pivotal role of the body......Page 128
Death, funerals and the experience of time and place in Samatite......Page 129
“La terre est remplis de pagnes”......Page 131
Cyclical supremacy: age, inheritance and polygamy......Page 132
Jealousy and rivalry in Samatite......Page 133
“They're not used to dressing”......Page 135
Politics and ritual: the rain priest......Page 138
Dress and the rain priest......Page 139
Relations between men and women: two separate worlds......Page 140
Dressing for occasions and occasions for dressing......Page 143
Social change in Samatite: migrants and intellectuels......Page 148
Urban habitus......Page 150
2d. The relationship between the individual and the self......Page 151
Individual identity and the body......Page 152
3. Summary: balance, continuity and the working body......Page 154
1. Introduction......Page 159
The villagers: Jacquari and Bintou......Page 161
2. Worldview in Santiaba......Page 163
God without nature......Page 166
Pagnes noirs and les choses anciennes......Page 167
The marabout and the imam......Page 168
The body and the invisible world: proprieté and purité......Page 170
Trees and cash crops in Santiaba......Page 172
Work and technology in Santiaba......Page 175
The elevated body......Page 177
The experience of time and place in Santiaba......Page 178
Relations of political authority......Page 179
Status and the grand boubou......Page 181
Gender relations in Santiaba......Page 186
Gender relations expressed in dress: dressing 'correctement'......Page 188
Other social relationships......Page 191
Dress, rank and unity......Page 192
2d. The relationship between the individual and the self......Page 193
3. Summary......Page 194
1. Introduction......Page 197
The villagers: Brigitte and Patrick......Page 200
2. Worldview in M'lomp......Page 203
2a. The relationship with the supernatural: mediation of the spirit world......Page 204
Pigs and pagnes......Page 208
Christianity and agriculture in the context of M'lomp......Page 209
The agricultural college in M'lomp......Page 210
Christianity and the body in the context of M'lomp......Page 214
The sewing atelier......Page 216
The experience of time and place in M'lomp......Page 220
2c. The consequences for social relations of conversion to Christianity: education and politics......Page 221
Dressing like Europeans......Page 222
2d. The relationship between the individual and the self......Page 225
3. Summary......Page 226
CHAPTER SEVEN POSTSCRIPT: DRESS IN THE CITY......Page 229
Urban dress and the 'expert' body......Page 234
Pagnes traditionnels: a museum article......Page 235
Business suits and boubous......Page 238
Christians and the grand boubou......Page 240
Summary......Page 241
Samatite: the 'working' body......Page 243
Santiaba: the 'performing' body......Page 246
M'lomp: the 'enclosed' body......Page 249
Bibliography......Page 257
Index of Authors......Page 265
Index of Subjects......Page 267