The Anthropology of Texts, Persons and Publics

by Karin Barber

Overview

What can texts - both written and oral - tell us about the societies that produce them? How are texts constituted in different cultures, and how do they shape societies and individuals? How can we understand the people who compose them? Drawing on examples from Africa and other countries, this original study sets out to answer these questions, by exploring textuality from a variety of angles. Topics covered include the importance of genre, the ways in which oral genres transcend the here-and-now, and the complex relationship between texts and the material world. Barber considers the ways in which personhood is evoked, both in oral poetry and in written diaries and letters, discusses the audience's role in creating the meaning of texts, and shows textual creativity to be a universal human capacity expressed in myriad forms. Engaging and thought-provoking, this book will be welcomed by anyone interested in anthropology, literature and cultural studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521837873
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	12/20/2007
Series:	New Departures in Anthropology , #5
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

Karin Barber is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Birmingham.

Table of Contents

1. Anthropology and text; 2. Genre, society and history; 3. The constitution of oral texts; 4. Text and personhood; 5. Audiences and publics; 6. The private; 7. Textual fields and popular creativity.

Editorial Reviews

"The brilliance of Karin Barber's book unfolds in her analyses of oral and written texts - praise poetry, epic poems, songs, novels, letters, and unpublished journals - from a wide range of African cultures and historical periods. As we follow Barber's linguistically, culturally, and historically grounded analyses of specific texts, we gain layers of insight into a variety of cultures' constructions of personhood and publics at particular places and times." - Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

"The Anthropology of Texts offers sets of concepts, terms and methods, refreshing the study of folklore and oral literature in Africa and elsewhere. It is a book that every cultural anthropologist and every folklorist ought to read."
Africa

From the Publisher