Witchcraft, witches, and violence in Ghana / Mensah Adinkrah.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Adinkrah, Mensah, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Witchcraft--Social aspects--Ghana.

Witches--Ghana--Violence against.

Trials (Witchcraft)--Ghana.

Sexism in witchcraft trials--Ghana.

Akan (African people)--Social conditions.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (336 p.)

Place of Publication:

New York, [New York] ; Oxford, [England] : Berghahn Books, 2015.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Introduction: witchcraft violence in comparative perspective

Ghana : the research setting

Witchcraft beliefs in Ghana

Socialization into witchcraft beliefs

Witchcraft themes in popular Ghanaian music

Witchcraft imagery in Akan proverbs

Witchcraft trials in Ghanaian courts

Witch killings

Non-lethal treatment of alleged witches

Gendered victimization : patriarchy, misogyny, and gynophobia

Conclusion: curbing witchcraft-related violence in Ghana.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781782385615

1782385614