{"product_id":"the-land-is-dying-contingency-creativity-and-conflict-in-western-kenya-9781845454814","title":"The Land Is Dying: Contingency, Creativity and","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e \tBased on several years of ethnographic fieldwork, the book explores life in and around a Luo-speaking village in western Kenya during a time of death. The epidemic of HIV\/AIDS affects every aspect of sociality and pervades villagers' debates about the past, the future and the ethics of everyday life. Central to such debates is a discussion of touch in the broad sense of concrete, material contact between persons. In mundane practices and in ritual acts, touch is considered to be key to the creation of bodily life as well as social continuity. Underlying the significance of material contact is its connection with growth – of persons and groups, animals, plants and the land – and the forward movement of life more generally. Under the pressure of illness and death, economic hardship and land scarcity, as well as bitter struggles about the relevance and application of Christianity and ‘Luo tradition’ in daily life, people find it difficult to agree about the role of touch in engendering growth, or indeed about the aims of growth itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eAwarded the 2010 Amaury Talbot Prize for African Anthropology by the Royal Anthropological Institute\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t“\u003cem\u003eFor me this was one of the best ethnographies I have read for many years.\u003c\/em\u003e”\u003cb\u003e  ·  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSocial Anthropology\/Anthropologie sociale\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cem\u003e“…[a]thoughtful and creative book… [It] is an excellent resource and it is a good read: theoretical without being overwhelming, anthropological without being off-putting, serious but amusing. In sum, it is a rare and valuable contribution.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cb\u003e  ·  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eAfrican Studies Quarterly\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t“\u003cem\u003eWhile not a light book, this is one for anyone seeking ethnographic understanding based on an equatorial African setting not to overlook…A short review can hardly do justice to the care behind the book or the local flavor it conveys: the accuracy of its translations, the sensitivity and empathy behind its life histories, the candor about research tactics and dilemmas…It is one warmly to be welcomed\u003c\/em\u003e.”\u003cb\u003e  ·  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnthropos\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t“\u003cem\u003eOne of the richest ethnographies of African social life of recent years… As do the best ethnographies, this book communicates the wonder of its authors at touching and being touched deeply across difference.\u003c\/em\u003e”\u003cb\u003e  ·  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJRAI\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t“\u003cem\u003eIn addition to [its] broad examination of the intertwining of Africans’ experiences of AIDS and associated social changes, [an important] theme …is[its]extended and sophisticated treatment of morality as an integral aspect not only of the AIDS epidemic, but also of every dimension of the social responses it has produced.\u003c\/em\u003e”  \u003cb\u003e·  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAfrican Studies Review\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t“\u003cem\u003eThe originality of this book lies in its careful exploration of touch and contingency, drawing on Michel de Certeau and Emmanuel Lévinas. The sensitive ethnography and judicious use of other sources make for superb anthropology…Here is a book that provides inspiration as well as beautifully crafted documentation of efforts to maintain the flow of life in specific difficult historical circumstances.\u003c\/em\u003e”\u003cb\u003e  ·  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMortality\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e \tTable of illustrations\u003cbr\u003e \tAcknowledgements\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 1. Introduction: “Are we still together here?\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tA community at the end of the world\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe death of today\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tGrowing relations\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tBeing together\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tGrowth\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tTouch\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSearching for another social practice\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tEngaging boundaries\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tHygiene\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tKnowing boundaries\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tChanging perspectives?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tComing together\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tVisiting\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 2. Landscapes and histories\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tReturns\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tA road in time\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tKisumu\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tDriving out Bondo District\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe lake\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t\u003ci\u003ePiny Luo\u003c\/i\u003e - ‘Luoland’\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tA ‘tribe’\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t\u003ci\u003eLuo\u003c\/i\u003e sociality\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe reserve\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tReturn to Uhero Yimbo Muthurwa\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tMaking Uhero village\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t(Re-)Settlement\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tBelonging and ownership\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tA modern \u003ci\u003eLuo\u003c\/i\u003e village\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t‘Down’ into the village\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t‘Up’ and ‘down’ \u003ci\u003eKaOkoth\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tAlternative ‘modernities’: the beach and ‘Jerusalem’\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t\u003ci\u003eKaOgumba\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 3. Salvation and Tradition: heaven and earth?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tDichotomies in everyday life\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSalvation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tStrong Christians\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSaved life\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSaved and others\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tFaith in purity\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tTradition\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe \u003ci\u003eLuo\u003c\/i\u003e rules\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t‘Born-again’\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tTraditionalism\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tTraditionalism, Christianity and The West\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tCustomary everyday life\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSearching ways\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tTradition in everyday life\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tEveryday ritual\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe absence of ritual\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe omnipresence of ritual\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003ePART ONE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 4. ‘Opening the way’: being at home in Uhero\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tIntroduction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t“Our culture says that one must make a home”\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tRelational flows: embedding growth in the home\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tTom’s new home\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tMoving forward - directions\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tOpenings and closures\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tOrder and sequence\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tComplementarity and growth: coming together in the house\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tMaking a house\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSharing the gendered house\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe living house\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tGender, generation and growth\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tStruggling against implication\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe home in heaven\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t‘The rules of the home’\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tPowers of explication\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tPracticing rules\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tCementing relations\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tTraditionalism and other kinds of ethnography\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003e5. Growing children: shared persons and permeable bodies\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tIntroduction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSharing\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSharing or exchange?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSharing food\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tFood, blood and kinship\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t‘The child is of the mother’\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tChanged foods and relations\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSharing and dividing nurture\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tShared bodies\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tIllnesses of infancy and their treatment\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tEvil eye and spirits\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tMedical pluralism?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tHerbal medicines\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tCleanness and dirt\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSharing names\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tBeing named after\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tBeing called\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSharing names and naming shares\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tConclusion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003ePART TWO\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 6. Order and decomposition: touch around sickness and death\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tIntroduction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tOtoyo’s home\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe sickness of a daughter\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tReturn of a daughter\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t\u003ci\u003eKwer\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003echira\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tContinuity and contingency\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tAvoiding the rules\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tTreating \u003ci\u003echira\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tCaring\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe death of a husband\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tExpected death\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t“She should remember her love!”\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tDeath\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe funeral\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe dead body\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tLoving people\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tConclusion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 7. ‘Life Seen’: touch, vision and speech in the making of sex in Uhero\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tIntroduction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tEarthly ethics and Christian morality\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tRiwruok\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tRiwruok: outside intentionality\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t\u003ci\u003eChira\u003c\/i\u003e: Growth and directionality\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tChodo and luor: continuity and change\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tCleanness: Sex and separation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe proliferation of 'Sex'\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tAIDS and \u003ci\u003echira\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe fight against AIDS\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tPornography - ‘bad things’\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tConclusion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 8. “Our Luo culture is sick”: identity and infection in the debate about widow inheritance\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tIntroduction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tTesting positive\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tBecoming a widow\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tContentious practices\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tA tough head\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t\u003ci\u003eTero\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tIndependence\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tAlone\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tInheritance and infection\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tPast and present \u003ci\u003etero\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tFighting \u003ci\u003etero\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tDeprivation and property\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tInheriting HIV - fears about women’s sexuality and social reproduction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tTurning \u003ci\u003etero\u003c\/i\u003e into a business\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tAmbiguous heritage: \u003ci\u003eTero\u003c\/i\u003e as source of identity and infection\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t‘Our \u003ci\u003eLuo\u003c\/i\u003e culture is sick’\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t‘The most elaborate and solemn ritual’: \u003ci\u003etero\u003c\/i\u003e is our culture\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tSanitising \u003ci\u003eLuo\u003c\/i\u003e culture?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tConclusion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003ePART THREE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 9. “How can we drink his tea without killing a bull?” - funerary ceremony and matters of remembrance\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tIntroduction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tFunerary ceremonies\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tFunerals in Uhero\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tFuneral commensality\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tReturning to the funeral\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tOsure’s \u003ci\u003esawo\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tAn Earthly feast\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tRebekka\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tEating the \u003ci\u003esawo\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tTraces of the past\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t‘Sides’\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tBaba Winston’s memorial\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tA Christian funerary celebration\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tDebates\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe service\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tRemembrance\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tConclusion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 10. “The land is dying” - Traces and monuments in the village landscape\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tIntroduction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tCutting the land\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tOwnership\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tLand, paper and power\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tLiving on the land\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tGardens and farms\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tThe bush\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tFences\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tAt home\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tTraces and inscriptions\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tGetting one’s land - finding one’s place\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tConclusion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \t\u003cb\u003eChapter 11. Contingency, creativity and difference in western Kenya\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tCreative difference\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tOld and new dealings with hybridity\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t“Are we still together here?”\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\tPostscript\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e \t\t\u003cem\u003eKa-Ogumba\u003c\/em\u003e 2007\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e \tBibliography\u003cbr\u003e \tBooks and Articles\u003cbr\u003e \tNewspaper articles and electronic media\u003cbr\u003e \tMusic\u003cbr\u003e \tIndex\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Berghahn Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51042977087831,"sku":"9781845454814","price":96.3,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781845454814.jpg?v=1750956482","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-land-is-dying-contingency-creativity-and-conflict-in-western-kenya-9781845454814","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}