African Sacred Groves - Ecological Dynamics and Social Change

Erscheinungsjahr 2008
ISBN: 978-1-84701-401-6
Verlag: James Currey

Buch, Englisch, 240 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 228 mm, Gewicht: 666 g

African sacred groves are often described as the remains of primeval forests, ethnographic curiosities, and cultural relics from a static pre-colonial past. Their continuing importance in African societies, however, shows that this 'relic theory' is inadequate for understanding current social and ecological dynamics.
This interdisciplinary book, by an international group of scholars and conservation practitioners, provides a new understanding of these forests, examining their ecological characteristics and delineating how sacred groves relate to social dynamics and historical contexts.

MICHAEL J. SHERIDAN is Associate Professor of Sociology & Anthropology at Middlebury College; CELIA NYAMWERU is Professor of Anthropology at St Lawrence University.

North America: Ohio U Press; South Africa: Unisa Press (PB)

Autoren/Hrsg.

Sheridan, Michael J.

Nyamweru, Celia

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Ethnologie | Volkskunde Ethnologie Kultur- und Sozialethnologie: Allgemeines
• Geowissenschaften Umweltwissenschaften Umweltmanagement, Umweltökonomie
• Geowissenschaften Geographie | Raumplanung Wälder

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction by the editors
THE HUMAN ECOLOGY OF SACRED GROVES
THE SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF SACRED GROVES
THE SYMBOL OF FORESTS
THE FUTURE OF AFRICAN SACRED GROVES