Witchcraft, Violence, And Democracy In South Africa

A crisp, clean, tightly bound softcover copy presenting light creasing to spine from having been previously gently read and presenting light shelf wear only.

From Publisher:

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.

Product Info

ISBN: 0226029743

ISBN-13: 9780226029740

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Year: 2005

Type: Used

Binding: Softcover

First Edition

Seller Info

BoomersBooks

Address: 273 North Stark Hwy Weare, New Hampshire

Website: https://www.boomersbooks.net

Country: United States