African Social Studies Series, Constructing History, Culture and Inequality

Between 1989 and 1999, Evers (anthropology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) lived and participated in the daily life of the Betsileo people living in the extreme Southern Highlands of Madagascar. Her study focuses on the frontier village of Marovato, founded in the early 20th century. She examines the ways in which an elite group of the village has used its own history and customs to create a new hierarchy of land owners and "slaves." She discusses several aspects of the culture, including its ideals of socio-economic organization, marriage practices, ontological perceptions, the world of the ancestors, burial customs, poisoning, sorcery, and witchcraft. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR Booknews

Between 1989 and 1999, Evers (anthropology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) lived and participated in the daily life of the Betsileo people living in the extreme Southern Highlands of Madagascar. Her study focuses on the frontier village of Marovato, founded in the early 20th century. She examines the ways in which an elite group of the village has used its own history and customs to create a new hierarchy of land owners and "slaves." She discusses several aspects of the culture, including its ideals of socio-economic organization, marriage practices, ontological perceptions, the world of the ancestors, burial customs, poisoning, sorcery, and witchcraft. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) More Reviews and Recommendations Editorial Reviews - Constructing History, Culture and Inequality From the Publisher

This book is a fascinating and penetrating study of ex-slaves who constructed a frontier society in the extreme Southern Highlands of Madagascar. Their survival under harsh conditions depended upon the creation of a new group of "slaves". Booknews