COOL KNIFE PB (Smithsonian Series in Ethnographic Inquiry) by BEIDELMAN T ISBN 13: 9781560987147

Washington, DC, U.S.A.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2000, 2000. trade paperback in very good+ condition.. Soft cover. Very Good.

Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997. Paperback. xv, 312p., illustrated with b&w snapshot photography (no close-ups), a substantial 9x6 inch softbound in photo-decorated wraps, completely sound, clean and unmarked, really as new.

Smithsonian, 1997-06-17. Paperback. Good.

Paperback. Good. Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

U.S.A.: Smithsonian, 1997. 1st Edition . Soft cover. Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Other than name a nice tight, unmarked copy.In The Cool Knife, T. O. Beidelman analyzes in rich detail the ritual, imagery, and symbolism of Kaguru initiations, relating them to other Kaguru ceremonies as well as to more routine daily activities. He argues that initiation educates boys and girls in their gender roles and constructs an ethnic identity that is assuming greater importance to the Kaguru as outside pressures threaten to undermine their culture. The first ethnography that examines both male and female initiations in an African society in equal detail, the book describes how Kaguru elders teach novices to value ambiguity and wordplay, to understand the body and its appetites, and to practice a complex etiquette that regulates daily behavior. Built up from the the manifold experiences and cues of everyday Kaguru routine, the ritual provides initiates with a unifying ethnic vision… Read More