Fieldnotes | Reflections | Ethnography
The following post reflects on shifting and malleable forms of personhood--a construct that we often consider to be a given and fixed throughout life. This is an enhanced version of some material originally appearing in Spirit Children: Illness, Poverty, and Infanticide in Northern Ghana. [1,300 words] Elijah and I sat chatting with three elder men …
The following are some thoughts that I shared with my Culture, Health, and Disease students on belief and reality. I thought I would share them here too. [1000 words] “Why would anyone admit they are a sorcerer or witch?” is a question that arises when I teach topics related to witchcraft, sorcery, and belief. This …
“Cynthia,” I called across the courtyard. “Tell me about the White Maggi.” Cynthia was a cook and an expert at helping me figure out the obvious—although she never missed a chance to tease me for asking silly questions. She laughed and shook her head, “Oh, Mr. Aaron, you don’t want it. It’s bad! It will …
This work in progress is part of my emerging collection of essays. Details on this effort and the first essay are here. This piece moves further into how culture shapes our our interpersonal concerns. [3,000 words] I must have seemed slightly unhinged. I was in the middle of a long period of fieldwork and starting to …
