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ISBN: PB: 9780226305288

ISBN: HB: 9780226305271

University of Chicago Press

March 2013

184 pp.

23x15 cm

3 maps

PB:
£19,50
QTY:
HB:
£52,00
QTY:

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Braided Worlds

In a compelling mix of literary narrative and ethnography, anthropologist Alma Gottlieb and writer Philip Graham continue the long journey of cultural engagement with the Beng people of Cote d'Ivoire that they first recounted in their award-winning memoir "Parallel Worlds". Their commitment over the span of several decades has lent them a rare insight. Braiding their own stories with those of the villagers of Asagbe and Kosangbe, Gottlieb and Graham take turns recounting a host of unexpected dramas with these West African villages, prompting serious questions about the fraught nature of cultural contact.

Through events such as a religious leader's declaration that the authors' six-year-old son, Nathaniel, is the reincarnation of a revered ancestor, or Graham's late father being accepted into the Beng afterlife, or the increasing, sometimes dangerous madness of a villager, the authors are forced to reconcile their anthropological and literary gaze with the deepest parts of their personal lives. Along with these intimate dramas, they follow the Beng from times of peace through the times of tragedy that led to Cote d'Ivoire's recent civil conflicts. From these and many other interweaving narratives – and with the combined strengths of an anthropologist and a literary writer – "Braided Worlds" examines the impact of postcolonialism, race, and global inequity at the same time that it chronicles a living, breathing village community where two very different worlds meet.

About the Author

Alma Gottlieb is professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is the author of "The Restless Anthropologist", "The Afterlife Is Where We Come From", and "Under the Kapok Tree", all published by the University of Chicago Press.

Philip Graham is professor of creative writing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and also teaches at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. He is the author of seven books of fiction and nonfiction, including "The Moon", "Come to Earth", also published by the University of Chicago Press.

Together they are the authors of "Parallel Worlds: An Anthropologist and a Writer Encounter Africa".

Reviews

"At this moment in the history of our divided and violent world, we profoundly need to hear the voices of Philip Graham and Alma Gottlieb as they return to the Beng people of the Cote d'Ivoire and write not just about this remarkable people but about the ways that all of us are inextricably 'braided' together by our love, through our humanity, sharing the great mystery of existence. 'Braided Worlds' is not only an enthralling book but an important one. And linked with Graham and Gottlieb's earlier 'Parallel Worlds', the two books form a masterpiece of travel memoi" – Robert Olen Butler, author of "A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain"

"'Braided World' is something of a literary miracle. First the story: In 1979-1980 anthropologist Alma Gottlieb and her husband Philip Graham spent 13 months among the Beng, a small language/cultural group in Ivory Coast in West Africa. A decade later they published 'Parallel Worlds', a gorgeously conceived and beautifully nuanced co-discovery of the Beng, part ethnology, part narrative, and part family conversation. In the intervening years, Philip and Alma have returned twice for extended stays with their friends, the Beng. They brought their children; they immersed themselves in the village. But wars and revolution have torn up that part of the world, too. Darkness descends. The result of these later visits is a brand new sequel to the first volume, the just-published 'Braided Worlds'. The literary miracle part comes from the neatly contrived cross-perspective of two gifted writers with different yet co-operative points of view. Both Alma and Philip bring different life interests, education, and obsessions to bear: the one is studying the Beng with an arsenal of anthropological concepts and tools; the other is writing a novel while living amongst the Beng, bringing his literary sensibilities and his native curiosity to bear on his experience at every turn. The result is an amazing book, an amazing conversation, and a sense of life energized by difference, surprise, sympathy, respect and intelligence" – Douglas Glover, Numero Cinq

"'Braided Worlds' is ethnographic storytelling at its best, rich in its evocation of the daily surprises of fieldwork, warm in its compassion for the Beng people, and haunting in its description of a moment of being that was as unforgettable as it was elusive. Gottlieb and Graham are a perfect duo, counterpointing and harmonizing with one another. Their book is filled with love, for each other, for the art of writing, and for the journey that led them to find another home in the world" – Ruth Behar, author of "An Island Called Home: Returning to Jewish Cuba"

"The same year they published their successful travel memoir, 'Parallel Worlds', Gottlieb and Graham headed back to Cote d'Ivoire, young son in tow, to conduct further research and share the proceeds of their book. . In alternating, harmonizing narratives, 'Braided Worlds' recounts this return to Bengland, offering a tale filled with intelligence, humor, and humility. Gottlieb and Grahaminvite readers to travel with grace and insight through the external landscape of Africa and the internal geography of marriage, parenthood, and ethical living. I would accompany them anywhere" – Michele Morano, author of "Grammar Lessons: Translating a Life in Spain"

"This powerfully evocative text has much to teach us about living in the world. Between the beautifully crafted lines of Gottlieb and Graham's work, one finds not only profound insights about the craft of anthropological fieldwork, the art of writing and the texture of social life among the Beng people of Cote d'Ivoire, but also deep truths about birth and death, courage and cowardice, sanity and insanity, and love and loss – the very things that transcend what at first glance seems to be unbridgeable cultural difference. A worthy sequel to Gottlieb and Graham's award winning, 'Parallel Worlds', 'Braided Worlds' charts new ethnographic and conceptual territory with a refreshingly understated daring, and is a great pleasure to read" – Paul Stoller, author of "Stranger in the Village of the Sick"

"In this lively, engaging memoir, Gottlieb and Graham conjure the confluence of multiple experiences and worlds. Their deep connection with the Beng people over the years offers an authoritative and, even more important, a touchingly personal account of life in one West African culture. This book is a wonderful addition to our contemporary creative nonfiction literature, combining the best of immersion journalism, personal memoir and academic study into a delightful and enchanting narrative. This literary journey reminds us, again and again, of the unbreakable bonds of our common humanity" – Xu Xi, author of "Habit of a Foreign Sky: A Novel"

"More than a sequel to the much-celebrated 'Parallel Worlds' – which entranced several generations of my students – 'Braided Worlds' takes readers deep into the heart of West Africa today, treating the fraught encounters and ethical dilemmas of anthropological fieldwork with remarkable empathy. A beautiful book that resists romance while remaining soulful, Braided Worlds is filled with seductive storytelling and sparkling prose" – Charlie Piot, author of "Remotely Global: Village Modernity in West Africa"

"'Braided Worlds' is a gripping and instructive curl-up-in-a-chair book, appealing to anthropologists, Africanists, and to travelers and wannabe travelers who like to think and read across cultures and about fascinating encounters. The memoir weaves together the alternating voices of an anthropologist and a writer, both keen observers of character and context, and unforgettable local actors such as Alma's friend Amenan, the mad to be modern Matatu, and the authors' young son Nathaniel with his Beng buddies. Through moving stories, such as Philip's father's African afterlife, we get a sense of worlds once parallel that have become progressively braided over time. Having successfully taught 'Parallel Worlds', I like 'Braided Worlds' even more, and plan to use it in courses on fieldwork ethics, anthropological writing, and African ethnography" – Pamela Feldman-Savelsberg, author of "Plundered Kitchens, Empty Wombs"