Iron, Gender, and Power: Rituals of Transformation in African Societies

By Eugenia W. Herbert

Book Overview

" Herbert] has constructed a model of power relationships structured upon gender and age, and derived from male transformative processes, and in so doing has written a notable, and most enjoyable, book." --African History

"Herbert examines with great care and thoroughness the relationships between gender and power and the rationales that give them social form. . . . Her] analytical ability is outstanding." --Patrick McNaughton

"This book is a well-written and essential study of the place of belief in African material culture." --International Journal of African Historical Studies

Herbert relates the beliefs and practices associated with iron working in African cultures to other transformative activities--chiefly investiture, hunting, and pottery making--to propose a gender/age-based theory of power.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0253208335
• ISBN13: 9780253208330
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Indiana University Press
• Length: 278 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher