Previous page | New search |
The free AfricaBib App for Android is available here
Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | Negotiating licence and limits: expertise and innovation in Djenné's building trade |
Author: | Marchand, Trevor H.J. |
Year: | 2009 |
Periodical: | Africa: Journal of the International African Institute |
Volume: | 79 |
Issue: | 1 |
Pages: | 71-91 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Mali |
Subjects: | construction industry artisans innovations indigenous knowledge |
External links: | https://doi.org/10.3366/E0001972008000612 http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/africa_the_journal_of_the_international_african_institute/v079/79.1.marchand.pdf |
Abstract: | During a mason's apprenticeship in Djenné, Mali, the young man acquires not only technical skills, but also appropriate social knowledge and a bodily comportment. Together, these inform his professional performance as a craftsman. Recognized masters of the trade creatively innovate in a manner that effectively expands the discursive boundaries of tradition and what is popularly accepted as 'authentic' Djenné architecture. Based on ethnographic work amongst Djenné's masons, this article explores the complex construction of 'expert status', and the negotiation of licence and limits for innovation in this internationally renowned and protected historic urban context. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. in English and French. [Journal abstract] |