Knowledge and Intellectual Practice in A Swahili Context

Wisdom' and The Social Dimensions of Knowledge

Dados Bibliográficos

ID2620144
AutoresKai Kresse (autor correspondente)
Ano2009
Volume79
Fascículo1
Páginas148-167
Data de publicação2009-02-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoAfrica (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0001-9720 • E-ISSN: 1750-0184
EditoraCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.3366/e000197200800065x
OpenAlexW2143651396
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas12
Referências citadas31

This article investigates 'wisdom' from an ethnographic perspective that pays attention to the ways in which knowledge is performed, appreciated, negotiated and questioned in everyday life in Mombasa, on the Swahili coast. It discusses thebarazasetting (daily meeting points for male social peers) as a venue for intellectual practice and the appreciation of wisdom. Basic features of communicative interaction identified there can also be found to be in play when looking at case studies of individuals and their performances. The article looks at how two genres (didactictenzipoetry and Ramadhan lectures) are used by Swahili intellectuals who are regarded as exceptional in their field. Verbal, performative and social skills are found to be crucial aspects of wisdom, which also has to do with being able to engage with common social concerns in a manner that leads to further insight and intellectual orientation for others. In this sense, social responsibilities and moral obligations in the use of knowledge play an important role. Overall, the article seeks to contribute to a general discussion of wisdom, based on insights gained on the East African coast

Context (archaeology · Epistemology · Ethnography · Linguistics · Performative utterance · Sociology · Swahili · African history and culture analysis · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Anthropology · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History