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Witchcraft, Violence, and Democracy in South Africa. By Adam Ashforth. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2005. 396 pp. Illus. £16.00 (pbk). ISBN 0-226-02974-3
There is certainly no shortage of anthropological and sociological studies of witchcraft in contemporary African societies. This is not surprising considering the potency and pervasiveness of witchcraft accusations in political, religious, social, and economic contexts in the region. Adam Ashforth's work stands out from the crowd due to its distinctive voice and original approach. It is a fascinating study of witchcraft in post-apartheid South Africa, and is based on his own immersion into life in Soweto during the 1990s, as well as a broad range of contextual reading. The result is an engaging study in...