Embodying Colonial Memories is the first in-depth study of the West African Hauka, spirits in the body of (human) mediums which mimic and mock Europeans of the colonial epoch. Paul Stoller, who was initiated into a spirit possession troupe, recounts an insider's tale of the Hauka with respect and "brotherly" deference. He combines narrative description, historical analysis, and reflections on the importance of embodiment and mimesis to social theory, with particular reference to the Songhay peoples of the Republic of Niger. Why have the Hauka mimicked white men and their colonial behaviors? In this innovative book, Stoller argues that mimicry is about power. To copy something is to master it. Through the Hauka, the Songhay try to divert the power of the Europeans. Embodying Colonial Memories not only desribes a spirit possession cult; it considers such significant subjects as the cultural sentience of the body, the dynamics of colonial movements of resistance, and the particularly poignant political discourses of West African postcolonies. -- Back cover.
Paul Stoller Book order (chronological)
January 1, 1947
Paul Stoller is an anthropologist and novelist whose works endeavor to convey the wisdom inherent in African systems of thought. His ethnographic research in Niger and among West African immigrants in New York informs his writing, where he explores complex family lives and global resilience. Stoller's prose serves as a bridge between cultural worlds, offering readers profound insights into distinct philosophies and ways of life. His writings invite an understanding of the complexities of the human experience through an anthropological lens.
