Structural Aspects of a West African Secret Society
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2959754 |
|---|---|
| Authors | M C Jedrej (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1976 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 234-245 |
| Publication date | 1976-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Anthropological Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0091-7710 • E-ISSN: 2153-3806 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/jar.32.3.3629561 |
| OpenAlex | W2275126108 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 14 |
| References cited | 7 |
Secret societies in West Africa have largely been considered from the point of view of their social function. In this article an analysis is made of the relevant collective representations from a structural standpoint. It is argued that this is not as innovatory as current debate might suggest but is implicit in the work of a number of authors. The Sande society initiation ceremonial is examined in relation to three dominant dimensions: that of people, space, and supernatural spirits. Each is shown to be dichotomized as women and men, forest and village, invisible spirits and visible maskers in a configuration encompassing and specifying the representations involved. This allows a comprehension of several features which have been problematic, such as the question of secrecy and the issue of the masked figure
Aesthetics · Art · Comprehension · Epistemology · Function (biology · Linguistics · Point (geometry · Political science · Relation (database · Secrecy · Sociology · Space (punctuation) · African history and culture analysis · African history and culture studies · Computer Science · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History · Law · Mathematics · Philosophy
Engaging ‘communities’
Ambivalent Relation with the Divine in Wole Soyinka's The Road
An Opera of the West African Bondo
The political use of Sande ideology and symbolism
Charles Jędrej and the ‘Deep Rurals’
Afterword
A matter of grave concern? Charles Jedrej's work on Mende sodalities, and the Ebola crisis
African Visual Arts from an Art Historical Perspective
African Visual Arts from a Social Perspective
The cultural transformation of Western education in Sierra Leone
The Invisible Social Body
Dan and Mende masks
Ideology, Autonomy, and Sisterhood
Ebola separations
| Unique citing works | 14 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,33 |
| Citation span | 1984 - 2021 (38) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 14 |