Papers by Ryszard Vorbrich
Wódz jako funkcjonariusz, 2004
THE CHIEF AS A FUNCTIONARY
DECENTRALISED DESPOTISM IN THE POST-TRIBAL SOCIETY IN CAMEROON
The ar... more THE CHIEF AS A FUNCTIONARY
DECENTRALISED DESPOTISM IN THE POST-TRIBAL SOCIETY IN CAMEROON
The article describes the genesis and modem manifestations of the involvement of an African state in tribal structures. The description ofhistorical and cultural conditions and political phenomena typical of the entire continent is illustrated with examples from Cameroon.
The analysis starts with the concept of post-tribal society, in which elements of culture and social structure, typical of the tribal society (traditional sources of prestige, collectivism, dominance ofblood ties and ethnocentric attitudes) are mixed with institutions and principles imported from Western culture (the concept of nation, parliamentary system, social
relations based on free relations and individualistic attitudes). The analysis of the legal status and political functions of tribal chiefs in the sociallife ofCameroon leads to the conclusion that they are de facto and de iure the modem emanation of the "class of native intermediaries".
Wymiary antropologicznego poznawania Afryki. Szkice z badań ostatnich
The aim of this study is to show how the conceptualization of female beauty can be an example of ... more The aim of this study is to show how the conceptualization of female beauty can be an example of intersubjective interpersonal relationships preserved by social practices. It analyzes and compares four models of Senegalese beauty: diriyanké, signares, disquettes and jongoma. The sources of the article come from my fieldwork research conducted intermittently in Dakar and Saint-Louis in 2017–2020. The fieldwork observations, interviews and surveys made it possible to recreate the public discourse on the discussed issues. In the course of the analysis, I point to the genesis of different cultural patterns of female beauty in Senegal. I discuss the ways of women’s self-creation, influencing their social perception (the myth of “seductive power”) and creating the stereotypes and distinctions that separate them. From an anthropological perspective, the category of female beauty appears here as a phantasm of the mind, as a set of qualities dependent on subjective evaluation but located in ...
„Mówić" czy „słuchać" Bariery kulturowe a programy pomo... more „Mówić" czy „słuchać" Bariery kulturowe a programy pomocowe i rozwojowe w krajach Trzeciego Świata
Journal of Urban Ethnology, 2021
Niniejsze opracowanie przedstawia historię powstania w ukrytej wśród szczytów Atlasu Wysokiego ni... more Niniejsze opracowanie przedstawia historię powstania w ukrytej wśród szczytów Atlasu Wysokiego niewielkiej osady zwanej Tidili Centre, stanowiącej dziś rodzaj „embrionu” struktury urbanistycznej. Analiza, odwołująca się do koncepcji procesów długiego trwania, przedstawia kontekst przyrodniczy, historycznyi społeczno-polityczny towarzyszący powstawaniu tego mikromiejskiego środowiska. Osada powstała „na surowym korzeniu” na tradycyjnych ziemiach plemienia Ait Tidili, stając się formalnie stolicą gminy. Pełniąc wiele funkcji gospodarczych, społecznych (administracyjnych) i kulturalnych, omawiana osada tworzy ramy przestrzenne społeczności lokalnej o heterogenicznym charakterze. Jest też wyrazem zmian, jakie zaszły na tym obszarze na przestrzeni czterech dekad, gdzie dotychczas stosunkowo zamknięta i jednorodna lokalna (subregionalna) społeczność włączona została do szerszego systemu wspólnoty narodowej.
Etnografia Polska
Pojęcie ‘Algierii francuskiej’ pojawiło się w dyskursie politycznym i naukowym w połowie XX wieku... more Pojęcie ‘Algierii francuskiej’ pojawiło się w dyskursie politycznym i naukowym w połowie XX wieku, jako negacja prób podważenia dominacji francuskiej w tym kraju. Niniejsze studium podejmuje analizę postaw francuskich etnologów w sytuacji konfliktu, jaki wybuchł w połowie XX w. w formalnie integralnej części Republiki Francuskiej. Analiza odwołuje się do takich koncepcji teoretycznych, jak „sytuacja kolonialna” (G. Balandiera) oraz autorskiej koncepcji „sytuacji badawczej”, w ramach której wyróżnić można takie zmienne jak: warunki (polityczne, społeczne itp.) w jakich ma miejsce spotkanie antropologa z przedmiotem jego badań (exterium sytuacji badawczej) oraz formacja zawodowa etnologa i jego doświadczenie życiowe (interium sytuacji badawczej). Analizę ilustrują trzy sylwetki etnologów francuskich skonfrontowanych z tzw. „wojną algierską”: J. Serviera, G. Tillion oraz J. Soustelle. The concept of ‘French Algeria’ appeared in the political and scientific discourse in the mid-twentiet...
Etnografia. Praktyki, Teorie, Doświadczenia
Based on the classic concept developed by M.L. Pratt and the author’s experience of fieldwork in ... more Based on the classic concept developed by M.L. Pratt and the author’s experience of fieldwork in Africa, this article discusses methods of building a contact zone during anthropological field research. Under the conditions of such research, a limited space of mutual, lasting, interactive relations is created between the anthropologist and the local social environment. The contact zone understood in this way is produced discursively and practiced physically. The time factor and coordination of the anthropologist’s availa- bility with the rhythm of life in the studied community are paramount. The contact zone may have different scope and social depth – it will be shallow, scattered and short-lived in field research covering an extensive area, but will acquire an interactive depth during an “intensive habitation”, when an anthropologist shares everyday life with the studied community.
Saint-Louis, the former capital of French West Africa, is a unique example of instilling European... more Saint-Louis, the former capital of French West Africa, is a unique example of instilling European urban ideas on African soil. The city originated from the seventeenth-century factory of European merchants, located on the island in the mouth of the Senegal river. In an urban space emerging from scratch, French urban planners were free to create a colonial city. Saint-Louis is a model testimony of the confrontation between two logics of urbanization: the African (spontaneous) one and the European one (contained in rigid rules). The core of the colonial city has survived to the present day, setting an example of how European designs are adapted to local natural and social conditions. Specific spatial arrangements and social structure which are a derivative of 300 years of European domination have survived in this African city to this day.
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Papers by Ryszard Vorbrich
DECENTRALISED DESPOTISM IN THE POST-TRIBAL SOCIETY IN CAMEROON
The article describes the genesis and modem manifestations of the involvement of an African state in tribal structures. The description ofhistorical and cultural conditions and political phenomena typical of the entire continent is illustrated with examples from Cameroon.
The analysis starts with the concept of post-tribal society, in which elements of culture and social structure, typical of the tribal society (traditional sources of prestige, collectivism, dominance ofblood ties and ethnocentric attitudes) are mixed with institutions and principles imported from Western culture (the concept of nation, parliamentary system, social
relations based on free relations and individualistic attitudes). The analysis of the legal status and political functions of tribal chiefs in the sociallife ofCameroon leads to the conclusion that they are de facto and de iure the modem emanation of the "class of native intermediaries".
DECENTRALISED DESPOTISM IN THE POST-TRIBAL SOCIETY IN CAMEROON
The article describes the genesis and modem manifestations of the involvement of an African state in tribal structures. The description ofhistorical and cultural conditions and political phenomena typical of the entire continent is illustrated with examples from Cameroon.
The analysis starts with the concept of post-tribal society, in which elements of culture and social structure, typical of the tribal society (traditional sources of prestige, collectivism, dominance ofblood ties and ethnocentric attitudes) are mixed with institutions and principles imported from Western culture (the concept of nation, parliamentary system, social
relations based on free relations and individualistic attitudes). The analysis of the legal status and political functions of tribal chiefs in the sociallife ofCameroon leads to the conclusion that they are de facto and de iure the modem emanation of the "class of native intermediaries".