In parts of West Africa, some babies and toddlers are considered spirit children-nonhumans sent from the forest to cause misfortune and destroy the family. These are usually deformed or ailing infants, the very young whose births coincide with tragic events, or children who display unusual abilities. In some of these cases, families seek a solution in infanticide. Many others do not.
Refusing to generalize or oversimplify, Aaron R. Denham offers an ethnographic study of the spirit child phenomenon in Northern Ghana that considers medical, economic, religious, and political realities. He examines both the motivations of the families and the structural factors that lead to infanticide, framing these within the context of global public health. At the same time, he turns the lens on Western societies and the misunderstandings that prevail in discourse about this controversial practice. Engaging the complexity of the context, local meanings, and moral worlds of those confronting a spirit child, Denham offers visceral accounts of families' life and death decisions.
| ISBN: | 9780299311209 |
| Publication date: | 30th May 2017 |
| Author: | Aaron R Denham |
| Publisher: | The University of Wisconsin Press an imprint of University of Wisconsin Press |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 216 pages |
| Series: | Africa and the Diaspora: History, Politics, Culture |
| Genres: |
Ethnic studies Cultural studies |
In parts of West Africa, some babies and toddlers are considered spirit children-nonhumans sent from the forest to cause misfortune and destroy the family. These are usually deformed or ailing infants, the very young whose births coincide with tragic events, or children who display unusual abilities. In some of these cases, families seek a solution in infanticide. Many others do not.
Refusing to generalize or oversimplify, Aaron R. Denham offers an ethnographic study of the spirit child phenomenon in Northern Ghana that considers medical, economic, religious, and political realities. He examines both the motivations of the families and the structural factors that lead to infanticide, framing these within the context of global public health. At the same time, he turns the lens on Western societies and the misunderstandings that prevail in discourse about this controversial practice. Engaging the complexity of the context, local meanings, and moral worlds of those confronting a spirit child, Denham offers visceral accounts of families' life and death decisions.
Spirit Children features in the following genres: Ethnic studies, Cultural studies
Spirit Children is available in Paperback, Hardback
Spirit Children was written by Aaron R Denham and published by The University of Wisconsin Press an imprint of University of Wisconsin Press
Spirit Children has 216 pages
Yes it is part of Africa and the Diaspora: History, Politics, Culture series