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| Title: | Modernity, tradition and the demystification of cattle in Lesotho |
| Author: | Turkon, David |
| Year: | 2003 |
| Periodical: | African Studies |
| Volume: | 62 |
| Issue: | 2 |
| Period: | December |
| Pages: | 147-169 |
| Language: | English |
| Geographic term: | Lesotho |
| Subjects: | Sotho economic anthropology animal husbandry Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) |
| External link: | https://doi.org/10.1080/0002018032000148731 |
| Abstract: | James Ferguson's conceptualization of the 'bovine mystique' offers an analytical framework for understanding transactions involving cattle in rural Lesotho that represents a current application of a cultural relativistic approach (1985, 1990, 1992). Since his own fieldwork was carried out mostly in the rural Mokhotlong District of Lesotho (in 1987, 1989, 1991-1992 and 1997), the present author critiques Ferguson's 'bovine mystique', as an example of an interpretation of the ways that property is conceived of and used, that relies too heavily on cultural ideologies while neglecting material constraints. The author argues that the bovine mystique, by focusing heavily on cultural ideologies, only partially explains the reasoning behind ways that Basotho (singular Mosotho) use livestock. He proposes an interpretation that accounts for historical developments under the political economy of Southern Africa and global capitalism, ecological constraints, cultural ideologies, social structure and human action. His analysis builds upon conceptions of global culture from economic anthropology and draws on perspectives from critical social theory in order to focus on the rational accommodations that people use to support their lifestyles, in particular sociocultural contexts. Bibliogr., note. [ASC Leiden abstract] |
