Cannibalism Myths, Empire, and Identity in Colonial Sierra Leone
eBook - PDF

Cannibalism Myths, Empire, and Identity in Colonial Sierra Leone

  1. 193 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Cannibalism Myths, Empire, and Identity in Colonial Sierra Leone

About this book

In 1913, Sierra Leone bore witness to a Special Court convened to hear cases of cannibalism. Described as "Human Leopards," those accused of ritually killing and eating others were associated with a criminal group, and in the wake of the cases, many accused and convicted Human Leopards were executed or exiled from the colony. Contemporary writers described these events in the rhetoric of the "civilized world" triumphing over the "barbaric," and newspapers of the period wallowed in the lurid idea of shapeshifting cannibals lurking to murder and devour the innocent. Cannibalism Myths, Empire, and Identity in Colonial Sierra Leone by Katrina HB Keefer offers new perspectives on these trials, delving closely into the transcripts of the 1913 Human Leopard cases. Through careful analysis of evidence and modern scholarship, it's clear that cannibalism was never at play in these murder cases, and Keefer presents a complex web of judicial overreach, colonial ambitions, xenophobic fears, socio-political turmoil, animals whose habitats were being encroached upon, and powerful initiation societies.

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Yes, you can access Cannibalism Myths, Empire, and Identity in Colonial Sierra Leone by Katrina HB Keefer in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & African History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Contents
  6. Acknowledgements
  7. Introduction
  8. Chapter 1: A Sketch of Sierra Leone and the Context for the Cases
  9. Chapter 2: What Kind of Leopards Were They?
  10. Chapter 3: Cannibalism as European Nightmare and as Spiritual Consumption
  11. Chapter 4: The Court at Gbangbama
  12. Chapter 5: Human Leopards and Poro
  13. Chapter 6: Body Marking, the Orthography of the Skin, and Colonial Assumptions
  14. Chapter 7: Oath-taking, Medicines, and the Colonial Law
  15. Chapter 8: The Special Commission Court Cases Concerning Human Leopards
  16. Conclusion
  17. Appendix
  18. Bibliography
  19. Index
  20. About the Author