Witchcraft and a Life in the New South Africa (The International African Library)
Cambridge University Press
Edition: Reprint, 11/30/2017
EAN 9781108442695, ISBN10: 1108442692
Paperback, 266 pages, 22.8 x 15.3 x 1.6 cm
Language: English
Witchcraft and a Life in the New South Africa reconstructs the biography of an ordinary South African, Jimmy Mohale. Born in 1964, Jimmy came of age in rural South Africa during apartheid, then studied at university and worked as a teacher during the anti-apartheid struggle. In 2005, Jimmy died from an undiagnosed sickness, probably related to AIDS. Jimmy gradually came to see the unanticipated misfortune he experienced as a result of his father's witchcraft and sought remedies from diviners rather than from biomedical doctors. This study casts new light on scholarly understandings of the connections between South African politics, witchcraft and the AIDS pandemic.
1. Introduction
2. Early experiences, initial suspicions
3. Becoming a man
4. 'Then I did not believe'
5. 'My second initiation'
6. 'I see things differently now'
7. Seeking revenge
8. AIDS and Oedipus
9. Reconstructing an ideal life
10. Last words.