From Blessing to Violence: History and Ideology in the Circumcision Ritual of the Merina of Madagascar

by Maurice Bloch

Book Overview

The circumcision ritual of the Merina of Madagascar is seen by them primarily as a blessing, involving the transfer of the love and concern of the ancestors of their descendants. Yet the ritual ends in an act of ciolent wounding of the child. Similarily, while the ritual involves a symbolic assault on women, it is nonetheless welcomed by them as a mark of receiving the blessing of the ancestors. In this book, Maurice Bloch provides a detailed description...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521314046
• ISBN13: 9780521314046
• Release Date: April 1986
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 228 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.8" x 9.2"