Masquerading Politics: Power and Transformation in a WestAfrican Kingdom Público

Abstract

My dissertation, Masquerading Politics: Power and Transformation in a West African Kingdom, examines the history and politics of masquerades in an ancient Yoruba kingdom from 1770 to 1901. It explores the ways in which masquerades shaped and were transformed by changes in Yoruba social, economic, and political history in the pre-colonial period. Masquerades, which have long been central to many West African cultures, are ritualized spectacles of performance. They often involve masked individuals who temporarily assume the status of spirits or of historical figures (who were prominent and looked up to in their communities). Masquerades mark seasonal changes and major political events as well as natural or social events significant to the life of the community, such as births, weddings, and funerals in addition to harvests and epidemics. Operating under the control of masquerade organizations, these performances have provided important spaces where participants could comment on, and actively engage in shaping, rapidly changing political orders. My research focuses on the complex ways in which masquerades helped Yoruba speakers negotiate a number of major transformations that occurred over the course of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. These changes included: the decline of kingdoms and the rise of warrior states; the expansion and eventual abolition of the Atlantic slave trade; the emergence of agricultural production for European markets; the introduction of Christianity and the spread of Islam; and, finally, the imposition of British colonial rule. I draw on both oral and archival evidence to reconstruct the history of Otta, a Yoruba town and capital of kingdom, through an examination of traditions surrounding the origins and development of its masquerades.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1. The Origins and Development of Egungun in Pre-Imperial Oyo

Chapter 2. Egungun in Oyo Imperial Administration and the Province of Otta

Chapter 3. The Emergence of New Warriors, Wards, and Masquerades: The Otta Kingdom in the Era of Oyo Imperial Collapse

Chapter 4. The Warlord, the Prince, and Masquerading Politics: Reconstituting Community in the Face of Continuing Threats from Abeokuta and Dahomey, 1848-1859

Chapter 5. Warriors, Women, and the Emergence of a New Egungun at Otta, 1882-1901

Conclusion

Bibliography

About this Dissertation

Rights statement

• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Laney Graduate School
Department	History
Degree	PhD
Submission	Dissertation
Language	English
Research Field	Anthropology, Cultural History, African Art History
Palavra-chave	Awori people Masks Masquerades Yoruba people
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Mann, Kristin, Emory University
Committee Members	Bay, Edna G, Emory University Kasfir, Sidney L, Emory University

Última modificação

Primary PDF

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Actions
	Masquerading Politics: Power and Transformation in a WestAfrican Kingdom ()	2018-08-28 11:47:51 -0400	Press to Select an action Download

Supplemental Files

Thumbnail	Title	Date Uploaded	Actions