This rich ethnographic study explores the life and work of successful marabout women in Dakar. it is set against the background of their private family lives, of developments in Senegalese society,... Show moreThis rich ethnographic study explores the life and work of successful marabout women in Dakar. it is set against the background of their private family lives, of developments in Senegalese society, and of global changes. While including female experts in spirit possession and plant-based healing, it also gives a rare insight in the work of women who offer Islamic knowledge such as Arabic astrology, numerology, divination and prayer sessions. With the analysis of marabout women's work this study sheds light on the ways in which women's authority is negotiated, legitimated, and publicly recognised in Dakar. The study focuses especially upon marabout women's strategies to gain their client's trust. Reference to rural areas is a significant element in this process. This study thus contributes to an understanding of a gendered way in which trust ans skepticism are related to marabout's work and of the the role of a connection between Dakar and the rural areas therein. Show less
Mobility is an essential feature of the Fulbe lifestyle. This article deals with Fulbe migration into the Manden area of Mali, where they have become the neighbours of Mande populations in various... Show moreMobility is an essential feature of the Fulbe lifestyle. This article deals with Fulbe migration into the Manden area of Mali, where they have become the neighbours of Mande populations in various qualities - as cattle herders working for Mande cultivators, as (former) rulers of Futa Jallon, as sedentary cultivators, and as traders. The article focuses on the migration of two Fulbe groups originating from central Mali, who have recently moved southward into Mande: the Jallube from the Hayre, and the Fittoobe from Duma. Although both groups have a long history of mobility and displacement, this has not always been an easy process. Their mobility increasingly takes the character of a 'forced displacement' resulting from drought and decreasing chances of survival in their homeland areas. Some of the families the authors encountered in the 1990s might be defined as displaced people, while some of those left behind might be labelled 'destitute'. The authors show how this has led to ambiguous attitudes among migrants vis-…-vis their kinsmen and their home areas. After a general description of the Fulbe and their mobility in central Mali, the authors discuss a number of case studies. They end with some observations on the migration process itself and its implications for migrants. Bibliogr., notes, ref. Show less
