Questioning Misfortune: The Pragmatics of Uncertainty in Eastern Uganda

by Susan Reynolds Whyte

Overview

This study of adversity and its social causes in rural Uganda considers how people deal with life's uncertainties—sickness, suffering, marital problems, failure, and death. Divination may identify causes of misfortune, ranging from ancestors and spirits to sorcerers. Sufferers and their families will then try out a variety of remedial measures, including pharmaceuticals, sorcery substances, and sacrifices. But remedies often fail, and doubt and uncertainty persist. The peril of AIDS can also be understood in terms of the existing pattern of uncertainty.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521594028
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	01/08/1998
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Medical Anthropology , #4
Pages:	274
Product dimensions:	6.22(w) x 9.29(h) x 0.91(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction; Part I. An Uncertain World: 1. Misfortune and uncertainty; 2. The pursuit of health and prosperity; 3. Going to ask; Part II. 'What You Cannot See': The Revelations of Spirits: 4. At home with the dead; 5. The fertility of clanship; 6. Little spirits and child survival; Part III. 'You Will Know Me': The Opacity of Humans: 7. Speaking of morality; 8. Substances and secrecy; Part IV. The Pragmatics of Uncertainty: 9. More questions; 10. Consequences. Notes; References; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...a fascinating study of the Ugandan Nyole people's experience with adversity. The discussion of AIDS alone makes Whyte's study mandatory reading for anyone interested in health issues in Africa." Mark Howard, Medical Anthropology Quarterly

From the Publisher