Of Alien Kings and Perpetual Kin presents a detailed understanding and analysis of the ideology of kingship among the Aruwund (Lunda) of southern Democratic Republic of the Congo. In doing so the text is drawn into addressing a range of important regional themes: the debate on the concept of the 'culture hero' in central African traditions of state formation; the system of 'perpetual kinship'; issues of hierarchy; and the symbolic use of space in royal ritual. All these lead to an analysis that stresses the fluidity and ambiguity of symbolic thought. In this, this innovative work questions the heuristic and theoretical validity of the concept of 'opposition' as used in theoretical models applied to the study of symbolism in which terms are self-contained and mutually exclusive.

Of Alien Kings and Perpetual Kin: Contradiction and Ambiguity in Ruwund (Lunda) Symbolic Thought (Anthropology Matters)

History

Palmeirim, Manuela

Africa

Sean Kingston Publishing

<p>The Lunda are dignified people, powerful and faithful to their traditions. Their civilisation was one of the largest in Africa in the 18th and mid-19th century, and it remains vibrant in the 21st. In Musumba, their imperial capital located in the South of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lunda rites continue to be practiced with fervour by the population, and the dynasty of kings still holds renowned traditional authority. The Italian photographer Angelo Turconi, who is well acquainted with the region, wanted to show the vitality of these Bantu people, who maintain a strong attachment to their culture and social structure despite the border divisions which occurred during the colonisation period. Together with John Anthony, also a photographer, and anthropologist Manuela Palmeirim, who has authored a documented study on the Lunda culture, Turconi takes us on a journey to a part of Africa which preserves many ancient traditions and yet is firmly rooted in the present. SELLING POINT: * An anthropological journey, narrated in photographs, that tells the story of the Lunda people of modern-day Congo 100 colour photographs</p>

The Lunda: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Arts & Photography

ANTHONY, John

Turconi, Angelo

Photography & Video

Stichting Kunstboak

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