Ngoma : discourses of healing in Central and Southern Africa / John M. Janzen.

Author
Janzen, John M. [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
  • Berkeley, CA : University of California Press, [1992]
  • ©1992
Description
1 online resource (274 p.)

Details

Subject(s)
Series
  • Comparative studies of health systems and medical care ; volume 34. [More in this series]
  • Comparative Studies of Health Systems and Medical Care ; 34
Summary note
Ngoma, in Bantu, means drum, song, performance, and healing cult or association. A widespread form of ritual healing in Central and Southern Africa, ngoma is fully investigated here for the first time and interpreted in a contemporary context. John Janzen's daring study incorporates drumming and spirit possession into a broader, institutional profile that emphasizes the varieties of knowledge and social forms and also the common elements of "doing ngoma. "Drawing on his recent field research in Kinshasa, Dar-es-Salaam, Mbabane, and Capetown, Janzen reveals how ngoma transcends national and social boundaries. Spoken and sung discourses about affliction, extended counseling, reorientation of the self or household, and the creation of networks that link the afflicted, their kin, and their healers are all central to ngoma-and familiar to Western self-help institutions as well. Students of African healing and also those interested in the comparative and historical study of medicine, religion, and music will find Ngoma a valuable and thought-provoking book.
Notes
Description based upon print version of record.
Bibliographic references
Includes bibliographical references (p. 219-234) and index.
Source of description
Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2020)
Language note
English
Contents
  • Front matter
  • Contents
  • Figures
  • Photographs
  • Preface
  • Introduction
  • 1. Settings and Samples in African Cults of Affliction
  • 2. Identifying Ngoma
  • 3. Core Features in Ngoma Therapy
  • 4. Doing Ngoma
  • 5. How Ngoma Works
  • 6. How Ngoma Works
  • Conclusion
  • Appendix A
  • Appendix B
  • Appendix C
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
  • Index
ISBN
  • 1-282-35640-2
  • 0-520-91085-0
  • 9786612356407
  • 0-585-12932-0
OCLC
  • 630528055
  • 43476558
Doi
  • 10.1525/9780520910850
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