Research Catalog
The trials of Mrs. K. : seeking justice in a world with witches
- Title
- The trials of Mrs. K. : seeking justice in a world with witches / Adam Ashforth.
- Author
- Ashforth, Adam
- Publication
- Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2018.
- ©2018
Items in the Library & Off-site
Filter by
1 Item
| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building to submit a request in person. | Text | Use in library | JFD 18-3823 | Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315 |
Details
- Description
- xiii, 246 pages; 23 cm
- 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"--Back cover.
- Subjects
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 187-236) and index.
- Contents
- 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.
- Call Number
- JFD 18-3823
- ISBN
- 9780226322223
- 022632222X
- 9780226322360
- 022632236X
- LCCN
- 2017051214
- 40028300478
- OCLC
- 1004256293
- Author
- Ashforth, Adam, author.
- Title
- The trials of Mrs. K. : seeking justice in a world with witches / Adam Ashforth.
- Publisher
- Chicago : The University of Chicago Press, 2018.
- Copyright Date
- ©2018
- Type of Content
- text
- Type of Medium
- unmediated
- Type of Carrier
- volume
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 187-236) and index.
- Other Standard Identifier
- 40028300478
- Research Call Number
- JFD 18-3823