This book brings together anthropological and historical perspectives to explore processes of politico-ritual transformation and the construction of inequality in rural communities in the Gamo Highlands of southern Ethiopia. In these communities there are two types of rituals performed by the same people. Historical evidence suggests that one has shown remarkable stability over the years, while the other has undergone massive transformations. External factors are the same, so how is this to be explained? This ethnographic puzzle opens the way for a novel analysis of the dynamics of cultural change. Focussing on causality, individual action, systemic organisation and communal decision-making, this book argues that the way in which external factors drive internal cultural transformation is greatly influenced by the structural organization of the cultural systems themselves.
Praise
“This monograph sets us thinking about how 'cultural systems' change and about what fuels their dynamics… Freeman develops an historical approach, relating socio-economic developments and individual action to the processes of cultural change. She also describes and 'models' incremental changes in the cultural systems themselves, on the basis of their interaction with the historical and economic factors… She shows that in the debate on 'structure and agency' one should show the generative mechanisms and develop interactionist explanatory models that do justice to the nature of the cultural… A fine book”.
— Jon Abbink, Professor of African Studies, African Studies Center, Leiden.
“Freeman’s insightful book argues convincingly that the existing approaches derived from the functionalist, structuralist, transactionalist, Marxist and cultural transmission traditions, if taken individually, are unable to provide satisfactory results. She thus advocates an ‘integrated theory of cultural change’ and puts it to work admirably in her nuanced and detailed analysis of socio-cultural change in the Gamo Highlands of Ethiopia”.
— Ulrich Braukämper, Professor of Anthropology, Göttingen University.
“In this rich historical/ethnographic account of life in the Gamo Highlands of Southern Ethiopia, Dena Freeman considers how the effect of political and economic integration of people in the newer parts of the Ethiopian state has sparked systemic and individualistic actions that have worked together to generate variation and change in politico-ritual forms. Her central argument is that social and cultural change take place when new opportunities are introduced that enable individuals and groups to maximize their wealth or power. Those who stand to lose will struggle with those who stand to gain from the exploitation of these opportunities, and this (usually non-violent and low-intensity) conflict will gradually produce iterative transformation of the overall system… A fascinating account”.
— Laura Hammond, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Clark University.