ABSTRACT

'An impressive and meticulously crafted African ethnography, which has theoretical and practical relevance for understanding masculinity and violence in general'- David Parkin, Professor of Anthropology, Cambridge University Manhood and Morality explores issues of male identity among the Gisu of Uganda and the moral dilemma faced by men who define themselves by their capacity for violence. Drawing extensively on twenty years of fieldwork and on psychological theory the book covers: circumcision
Oedipal feelings
witchcraft
deviance
joking
sexuality
and ethnicity.
This ethnographic study challenges our preconceptions of manhood, especially African virility, inviting a wider re-evaluation of masculinity.

chapter 1|7 pages

Introduction

chapter 2|25 pages

The Making of Men

The relevance of vernacular psychology to the interpretation of a Gisu ritual

chapter 3|14 pages

The Ritual use of Violence

Circumcision among the Gisu of Uganda

chapter 4|26 pages

Every Man a Hero

Oedipal themes in Gisu circumcision

chapter 5|17 pages

Witches and Thieves

Deviant motivations in Gisu society

chapter 6|19 pages

Divinatory Failure

Gisu diviners and the problem of doubt

chapter 7|19 pages

Joking and Avoidance, Hostility and Incest

An essay on Gisu moral categories

chapter 8|18 pages

The Power of Sex

Reflections on the Caldwells’ ‘African sexuality’ thesis