The Afterlife Is Where We Come from: The Culture of Infancy in West Africa

by Alma Gottlieb

Book Overview

When a new baby arrives among the Beng people of West Africa, they see it not as being born, but as being reincarnated after a rich life in a previous world. Far from being a tabula rasa, a Beng infant is thought to begin its life filled with spiritual knowledge. How do these beliefs affect the way the Beng rear their children?

In this unique and engaging ethnography of babies, Alma Gottlieb explores how religious ideology affects every aspect...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226305023
• ISBN13: 9780226305028
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 404 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.0"