Transformations of symbolic representations relating to water. The witchcraft of talimbi in the Central Africa urban context

// ABSTRACT IN ENGLISH: Witchcraft as a means of interpretation of actual happenings is a recurrent theme in contemporary anthropological studies. Due to extreme flexibility of sorcery, this category is renewing continuously and adapts easily to contemporary changes. Witchcraft of talimbi in Central...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Cahiers d'études africaines 2011-01, Vol.204, p.873-892
Main Author: Cimpric, Aleksandra
Format: Article
Language:fre
Subjects:
Anthropological research
Central Africa
Commodification
Modern society
Morality
Social relations
Talimbi
Urban areas
Water supply
Witchcraft
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Summary:// ABSTRACT IN ENGLISH: Witchcraft as a means of interpretation of actual happenings is a recurrent theme in contemporary anthropological studies. Due to extreme flexibility of sorcery, this category is renewing continuously and adapts easily to contemporary changes. Witchcraft of talimbi in Central African Republic has undergone transformations and reinterpretations in order to adapt to the needs of the modern society. Contemporary representations of talimbi withdraw content from several systems of representations; mainly from nyama ti ngu (water animals), caiman-men and zo ti likundu (witches). As a social reality, this witchcraft integrates further elements related to commodification of things, properties and human beings and it can be defined as "occult economy". These representations function as regulator of norms of etiquette and morality of the person. Talimbi offer thus an analysis of social relations at every level. Reprinted by permission of Éditions de l'École des hautes études en sciences sociales
ISSN:0008-0055