Water into Bones : Birth Rituals, Ancestors, and Religious Pluralism in Northern Madagascar.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Nourse, Erin K.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Birth customs.

Ancestor worship.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (288 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Bloomington : Indiana University Press, 2025.

Summary:

This book explores the birth rituals, ancestral traditions, and religious pluralism in Northern Madagascar. Drawing on extensive fieldwork and interviews, the author examines the cultural and spiritual practices surrounding childbirth, motherhood, and community care. It delves into how these traditions interact with and adapt to dynamic religious landscapes, highlighting the coexistence and tensions of differing moral cosmologies. The work is deeply rooted in anthropology and religious studies, offering insights into Malagasy cultural identity and the shaping of familial and spiritual bonds. Aimed at scholars, students, and readers interested in anthropology, religion, and African studies, the book provides a nuanced understanding of the interplay between ritual, belief systems, and social structures in Madagascar. Generated by AI.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Studying Birth Rituals and Ancestors in Madagascar

1. Birthing Babies in Diégo Suarez

2. Motherhood and Creative Confluences of Care

3. Bathing and Seclusion: Making Mothers Who Will Bless Their Babies

4. Turning "Water Babies" into "Real Human Beings"

5. Bearing Babies in Dynamic Religious Landscapes

Conclusion: Birth, Loss, and Competing Moral Cosmologies

Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the Author.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Part of the metadata in this record was created by AI, based on the text of the resource.

ISBN:

9780253072412

0253072417

OCLC:

1498555786