The Pastoral Continuum: The Marginalization of Tradition in East Africa by Paul Spencer, Hardcover, 9780198233756 | Buy online at The Nile
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The Pastoral Continuum: The Marginalization of Tradition in East Africa

The Marginalization of Tradition in East Africa

Author: Paul Spencer and Nick Spencer   Series: Oxford Studies in Social and Cultural Anthropology

A study of the ways of life of the cattle-herding peoples of East Africa in the OXFORD STUDIES IN SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY series. Spencer examines the resilience of the culture of these peoples, illuminating the role of indigenous practices and institutions in adaptation and survival.

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Summary

A study of the ways of life of the cattle-herding peoples of East Africa in the OXFORD STUDIES IN SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY series. Spencer examines the resilience of the culture of these peoples, illuminating the role of indigenous practices and institutions in adaptation and survival.

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Description

Paul Spencer presents the definitive study of the ways of life of the cattle-herding peoples of East Africa, drawing on many years of research. This region has offered a prime example of a traditional culture resisting the inevitability of change; it provides the best-known and most extensive instance both of cattle-pastoralist society and of social organization based primarily on age. Pastoral peoples were once dominant in the East African interior, butdevelopment of the market economy has progressively polarized the region and forced them into the most marginal, drought-ridden areas; in this ecological trap they have become a peripheral underclass. ThePastoral Continuum examines the richness and resilience of their cultures and illuminates the role of indigenous practices and institutions in adaptation and survival. The pastoralists' systems of age organization in particular are notable for their resilience: it is demonstrated that these are bound up with problems of growth and succession in family enterprises, and that marriage is a critical link in the web of alliance that governs the problematic relations between old and young.Spencer's exploration of the development of the pastoralist phenomenon yields a unique view of its place in the modern world and its prospects for the future. This landmark work by aleading authority will be of lasting value to any reader interested in traditional social systems of this kind.

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Critic Reviews

“The author's statistical analyses provide valuable insights that will be of particular interest to more specialised readers. Spencer's study is neither overly romantic nor unduly pessimistic. He ends on a note of hope for the future of pastoralism as a way of life in eastern Africa./ AneesaKassam, lecturer in anthropology, Durham University, THES, 21/05/99.”

The author's statistical analyses provide valuable insights that will be of particular interest to more specialised readers. Spencer's study is neither overly romantic nor unduly pessimistic. He ends on a note of hope for the future of pastoralism as a way of life in eastern Africa./ Aneesa Kassam, lecturer in anthropology, Durham University, THES, 21/05/99.

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About the Author

Paul Spencer is Professor of African Anthropology at The School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.

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More on this Book

Paul Spencer presents the definitive study of the ways of life of the cattle-herding peoples of East Africa, drawing on many years of research. This region has offered a prime example of a traditional culture resisting the inevitability of change; it provides the best-known and most extensive instance both of cattle-pastoralist society and of social organization based primarily on age. Pastoral peoples were once dominant in the East African interior, but development of the market economy has progressively polarized the region and forced them into the most marginal, drought-ridden areas; in this ecological trap they have become a peripheral underclass. The Pastoral Continuum examines the richness and resilience of their cultures and illuminates the role of indigenous practices and institutions in adaptation and survival. The pastoralists' systems of age organization in particular are notable for their resilience: it is demonstrated that these are bound up with problems of growth and succession in family enterprises, and that marriage is a critical link in the web of alliance that governs the problematic relations between old and young. Spencer's exploration of the development of the pastoralist phenomenon yields a unique view of its place in the modern world and its prospects for the future. This landmark work by a leading authority will be of lasting value to any reader interested in traditional social systems of this kind.

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Product Details

Publisher
Clarendon Press
Published
31st January 1998
Pages
320
ISBN
9780198233756

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