People are Not the Same (Social History of Africa) - Softcover

Silla

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0325000042 ISBN 13: 9780325000046

Verlag: Heinemann Educational Books,U.S., 1998

Inhaltsangabe

Book by Silla Eric

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Reseña del editor:

Eric Silla adds a new dimension to the Social History of Africa Series through a compelling account of leprosy (Hansen's Disease) in colonial and post-colonial Mali. Unlike many studies of health and disease, People Are Not the Same draws on an extensive collection of life histories to elaborate the perspectives of patients themselves. It thereby weaves the transformation of "leper" identities with changes in medical and social responses to the disease. by situating seemingly local experiences of patients within the larger context of national and global change, Silla deepens our historical understanding of a wide range of issues including stigma, marginality, begging, and migration. He explains how the debilitating nature of leprosy interfered with one's ability to marry, farm, and participate in other facets of "normal" life. Leprosy sufferers became outcasts in their villages and often migrated to treatment centers in Bamako and other towns. At these centers, patients constructed self-conscious communities which empowered them socially and politically.

By privileging African voices in the experience of the disease, Silla presents a moving portrait of leprosy survivors that belies their stereotype as pitiable victims. His study reveals them instead as vibrant historical actors. It is an innovative contribution to the history of French colonialism and of socialism, dictatorship, and democracy in independent Africa. The example of leprosy in Mali also raises important questions about Western public health programs that emphasize biological cures with little regard for social rehabilitation.

Biografía del autor:

ERIC SILLA received a B.A. from Yale College and a Ph.D. in history from Northwestern University. His latest article appears in the Cahier d'Etudes Africaines (no. 144, 1996). A recent exhibit on leprosy at the United Nations featured several of his photographs from Mali. After teaching at Northwestern and Georgetown Universities, Dr. Silla created and directed a study-abroad program in Mali for the School for International Training. He is the recipient of Jacob Javits and Fulbright-Hays fellowships from the U.S. Department of Education. The Social Science Research Council and the Center for Arabic Study Abroad have also awarded him grants for study and research in Africa.

Über diese Auflage

• Verlag: Heinemann Educational Books,U.S.
• Erscheinungsdatum: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0325000042
• ISBN 13: 9780325000046
• Einband: Tapa blanda
• Anzahl der Seiten: 231