A'aisa's Gifts
eBook - ePub

A'aisa's Gifts

A Study of Magic and the Self

  1. 404 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

A'aisa's Gifts

A Study of Magic and the Self

About this book

Filled with insight, provocative in its conclusions, A'aisa's Gifts is a groundbreaking ethnography of the Mekeo of Papua New Guinea and a valuable contribution to anthropological theory. Based on twenty years' fieldwork, this richly detailed study of Mekeo esoteric knowledge, cosmology, and self-conceptualizations recasts accepted notions about magic and selfhood. Drawing on accounts by Mekeo ritual experts and laypersons, this is the first book to demonstrate magic's profound role in creating the self. It also argues convincingly that dream reporting provides a natural context for self-reflection. In presenting its data, the book develops the concept of "autonomous imagination" into a new theoretical framework for exploring subjective imagery processes across cultures.
Filled with insight, provocative in its conclusions, A'aisa's Gifts is a groundbreaking ethnography of the Mekeo of Papua New Guinea and a valuable contribution to anthropological theory. Based on twenty years' fieldwork, this richly detailed study of Mek

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Yes, you can access A'aisa's Gifts by Michele Stephen in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Ethnic & Tribal Religion. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. Acknowledgments
  6. Introduction
  7. Part I From Manifest to Hidden
  8. 1 The Visible Ordering of Things
  9. 2 Manifest and Concealed
  10. 3 From Visible Things: Fieldwork 1969-1971
  11. 4 To Hidden Things: Fieldwork 1980-1982
  12. 5 A Distinctive Mode of Imagination
  13. Part II Dreaming and the Hidden Self
  14. 6 Dreams
  15. 7 A Hidden Self
  16. 8 Dreams and Self-Knowledge
  17. Part III The Sorrows of Knowledge
  18. 9 The Traditions of Secret Knowledge
  19. 10 Two Dream Diviners: Josephina and Janet
  20. 11 Two Men of Knowledge: Alex and Francis
  21. 12 Observing a Man of Knowledge: Aisaga
  22. 13 Learning “Sorcery” Unawares
  23. 14 The Sorrows of Acquiring Knowledge
  24. 15 A’aisa’s Gifts
  25. Part IV Conclusion
  26. 16 Magic, Self, and Autonomous Imagination
  27. Notes
  28. Bibliography
  29. Subject Index
  30. Author Index