Some babies and toddlers in parts of West Africa are considered spirit children—nonhumans sent from the forest to cause misfortune and destroy the family. These are usually deformed or ailing infants, or children whose births coincide with tragic events or who display unusual abilities. Aaron R. Denham offers a nuanced ethnographic study of this phenomenon in Northern Ghana that examines both the motivations of the families and the structural factors that lead to infanticide. He also turns the lens on the prevailing misunderstandings about this controversial practice. Denham offers vivid accounts of families' life-and-death decisions that engage the complexity of the context, local meanings, and moral worlds of those confronting a spirit child.
| ISBN: | 9780299311247 |
| Publication date: | 30th July 2019 |
| Author: | Aaron R Denham |
| Publisher: | The University of Wisconsin Press an imprint of University of Wisconsin Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 216 pages |
| Series: | Africa and the Diaspora: History, Politics, Culture |
| Genres: |
Ethnic studies Social and cultural anthropology Social and ethical issues |
Some babies and toddlers in parts of West Africa are considered spirit children—nonhumans sent from the forest to cause misfortune and destroy the family. These are usually deformed or ailing infants, or children whose births coincide with tragic events or who display unusual abilities. Aaron R. Denham offers a nuanced ethnographic study of this phenomenon in Northern Ghana that examines both the motivations of the families and the structural factors that lead to infanticide. He also turns the lens on the prevailing misunderstandings about this controversial practice. Denham offers vivid accounts of families' life-and-death decisions that engage the complexity of the context, local meanings, and moral worlds of those confronting a spirit child.
Spirit Children features in the following genres: Ethnic studies, Social and cultural anthropology, Social and ethical issues
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