Ngoma: Discourses of Healing in Central and Southern Africa

Ngoma: Discourses of Healing in Central and Southern Africa (Volume 34) (Comparative Studies of Health Systems and Medical Care)

Ngoma, in Bantu, means drum, song, performance, and healing cult or association. A widespread form of ritual healing in Central and Southern Africa, ngoma is fully investigated here for the first time and interpreted in a contemporary context. John Janzen's daring study incorporates drumming and spirit possession into a broader, institutional profile that emphasizes the varieties of knowledge and social forms and also the common elements of "doing ngoma."

Drawing on his recent field research in Kinshasa, Dar-es-Salaam, Mbabane, and Capetown, Janzen reveals how ngoma transcends national and social boundaries. Spoken and sung discourses about affliction, extended counseling, reorientation of the self or household, and the creation of networks that link the afflicted, their kin, and their healers are all central to ngomaâ€”and familiar to Western self-help institutions as well. Students of African healing and also those interested in the comparative and historical study of medicine, religion, and music will find Ngoma a valuable and thought-provoking book.
Country USA
Brand University of California Press
Manufacturer University of California Press
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber Illustrated
ReleaseDate 1992-10-21
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780520072657

Country	USA
Brand	University of California Press
Manufacturer	University of California Press
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	Illustrated
ReleaseDate	1992-10-21
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780520072657

Ngoma: Discourses of Healing in Central and Southern Africa (Volume 34) (Comparative Studies of Health Systems and Medical Care)