Abstract
This chapter examines gender ideology and its expression in, and relationship to, the domestic and public spheres among the Iraqw of northern Tanzania. The anthropology of gender has paid much attention to the domestic/public sphere dichotomy since Rosaldo’s and Lamphere’s ground-breaking work, which first posited this division of space and action as a source of women’s inequality. The Iraqw public is essentially an extension of the Iraqw domestic, which is nested within it rather than standing in binary opposition to it. An individual’s status, whether male or female, within the domestic sphere directly structures his or her status and ability to claim authority and prestige in the public sphere. Another supernatural force in the lives of Iraqw, though of much less significance, is the ghosts or giusee. Similar to the earth spirits, the ghosts are easily angered and vengeful if not treated with the proper respect.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Those Who Play With Fire |
Subtitle of host publication | Gender, Fertility and Transformation in East and Southern Africa |
Publisher | Taylor and Francis |
Pages | 225-253 |
Number of pages | 29 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781000324754 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780826463678 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2020 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Arts and Humanities