The trials of Mrs. K. : seeking justice in a world with witches /

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Ashforth, Adam, author.
Imprint:Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2018.
©2018
Description:xiii, 246 pages ; 23 cm
Language:English
Subject:
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11660736
Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:9780226322223
022632222X
9780226322360
022632236X
Notes:Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-236) and index.
Summary:In March 2009, in a small town in Malawi, a nurse at the local hospital was accused of teaching witchcraft to children. Amid swirling rumors, Mrs. K. tried to defend her reputation, but the community nevertheless grew increasingly hostile. The legal, social, and psychological trials that she endured in the struggle to clear her name left her life in shambles, and she died a few years later. In The Trials of Mrs. K., Adam Ashforth studies this and similar stories of witchcraft that continue to circulate in Malawi. At the heart of the book is Ashforth?s desire to understand how claims to truth, the pursuit of justice, and demands for security work in contemporary Africa, where stories of witchcraft can be terrifying. Guiding us through the history of legal customs and their interactions with the court of public opinion, Ashforth asks challenging questions about responsibility, occult forces, and the imperfect but vital mechanisms of law. A beautifully written and provocative book, The Trials of Mrs. K. will be an essential text for understanding what justice means in a fragile and dangerous world.

MARC

LEADER 00000cam a2200000 i 4500
001 11660736
003 ICU
005 20181206113510.5
008 171025t20182018ilu b 001 0 eng c
010 |a 2017051214 
019 |a 1004262464 
020 |a 9780226322223  |q hardcover ;  |q alkaline paper 
020 |a 022632222X  |q hardcover ;  |q alkaline paper 
020 |a 9780226322360  |q paperback ;  |q alkaline paper 
020 |a 022632236X  |q paperback ;  |q alkaline paper 
035 |a (OCoLC)1004256293  |z (OCoLC)1004262464 
040 |a ICU/DLC  |b eng  |e rda  |c DLC  |d OCLCF  |d OCLCQ  |d TOH  |d OCLCO  |d ERASA  |d YDX  |d OCLCO  |d CGU 
042 |a pcc 
043 |a f-mw--- 
049 |a CGUA 
050 0 0 |a BF1584.M3  |b A84 2018 
082 0 0 |a 133.4/3096897  |2 23 
100 1 |a Ashforth, Adam,  |e author.  |0 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n88291830  |1 http://viaf.org/viaf/36966297 
245 1 4 |a The trials of Mrs. K. :  |b seeking justice in a world with witches /  |c Adam Ashforth. 
264 1 |a Chicago :  |b The University of Chicago Press,  |c 2018. 
264 4 |c ©2018 
300 |a xiii, 246 pages ;  |c 23 cm 
336 |a text  |b txt  |2 rdacontent  |0 http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/contentTypes/txt 
337 |a unmediated  |b n  |2 rdamedia  |0 http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/mediaTypes/n 
338 |a volume  |b nc  |2 rdacarrier  |0 http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/carriers/nc 
504 |a Includes bibliographical references (pages 221-236) and index. 
505 0 |a The most abhorrent crime -- The name of the witch -- A fair forum? -- A witch in the family -- The case of the Kasitos -- When a witch confesses -- A child's tale -- Judgment day for Mrs. K. -- Human rights, Norwegians, and the "president of witches" -- "Material dreaming" and the ways witchcraft stories work -- Truth and consequences: the work of witchcraft stories -- In defense of witch trials. 
520 8 |a In March 2009, in a small town in Malawi, a nurse at the local hospital was accused of teaching witchcraft to children. Amid swirling rumors, Mrs. K. tried to defend her reputation, but the community nevertheless grew increasingly hostile. The legal, social, and psychological trials that she endured in the struggle to clear her name left her life in shambles, and she died a few years later. In The Trials of Mrs. K., Adam Ashforth studies this and similar stories of witchcraft that continue to circulate in Malawi. At the heart of the book is Ashforth?s desire to understand how claims to truth, the pursuit of justice, and demands for security work in contemporary Africa, where stories of witchcraft can be terrifying. Guiding us through the history of legal customs and their interactions with the court of public opinion, Ashforth asks challenging questions about responsibility, occult forces, and the imperfect but vital mechanisms of law. A beautifully written and provocative book, The Trials of Mrs. K. will be an essential text for understanding what justice means in a fragile and dangerous world. 
650 0 |a Trials (Witchcraft)  |z Malawi. 
650 0 |a Witchcraft  |x Social aspects  |z Malawi. 
650 7 |a Trials (Witchcraft)  |2 fast  |0 (OCoLC)fst01156425 
650 7 |a Witchcraft  |x Social aspects.  |2 fast  |0 (OCoLC)fst01176335 
650 7 |a PSYCHOLOGY / General.  |2 bisacsh 
651 7 |a Malawi.  |2 fast  |0 (OCoLC)fst01209421 
901 |a UCPress 
903 |a HeVa 
929 |a cat 
999 f f |i 3ac3a535-4b2f-552a-940a-133dc7d80287  |s 6726bd78-29e4-5c43-8e87-54e5166c1631 
928 |t Library of Congress classification  |a BF1584.M3A84 2018  |l ASR  |c SPCLASR-UCPress  |i 11071955 
928 |t Library of Congress classification  |a BF1584.M3 A84 2018  |l DLL  |c DLL-Law  |i 11161276 
927 |t Library of Congress classification  |a BF1584.M3A84 2018  |l ASR  |c SPCLASR-UCPress  |b 114960784  |i 9987094 
927 |t Library of Congress classification  |a BF1584.M3 A84 2018  |l DLL  |c DLL-Law  |e NATH  |b 088872986  |i 10032104