In Sierra Leone

Biography & Memoir
Cover of the book In Sierra Leone by Michael D. Jackson, Duke University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael D. Jackson ISBN: 9780822385561
Publisher: Duke University Press Publication: March 8, 2004
Imprint: Duke University Press Books Language: English
Author: Michael D. Jackson
ISBN: 9780822385561
Publisher: Duke University Press
Publication: March 8, 2004
Imprint: Duke University Press Books
Language: English

In 2002, as Sierra Leone prepared to announce the end of its brutal civil war, the distinguished anthropologist, poet, and novelist Michael Jackson returned to the country where he had intermittently lived and worked as an ethnographer since 1969. While his initial concern was to help his old friend Sewa Bockarie (S. B.) Marah—a prominent figure in Sierra Leonean politics—write his autobiography, Jackson’s experiences during his stay led him to create a more complex work: In Sierra Leone, a beautifully rendered mosaic integrating S. B.’s moving stories with personal reflections, ethnographic digressions, and meditations on history and violence.

Though the Revolutionary United Front (R.U.F.) ostensibly fought its war (1991–2002) against corrupt government, the people of Sierra Leone were its victims. By the time the war was over, more than fifty thousand were dead, thousands more had been maimed, and over one million were displaced. Jackson relates the stories of political leaders and ordinary people trying to salvage their lives and livelihoods in the aftermath of cataclysmic violence. Combining these with his own knowledge of African folklore, history, and politics and with S. B.’s bittersweet memories—of his family’s rich heritage, his imprisonment as a political detainee, and his position in several of Sierra Leone’s post-independence governments—Jackson has created a work of elegiac, literary, and philosophical power.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 2002, as Sierra Leone prepared to announce the end of its brutal civil war, the distinguished anthropologist, poet, and novelist Michael Jackson returned to the country where he had intermittently lived and worked as an ethnographer since 1969. While his initial concern was to help his old friend Sewa Bockarie (S. B.) Marah—a prominent figure in Sierra Leonean politics—write his autobiography, Jackson’s experiences during his stay led him to create a more complex work: In Sierra Leone, a beautifully rendered mosaic integrating S. B.’s moving stories with personal reflections, ethnographic digressions, and meditations on history and violence.

Though the Revolutionary United Front (R.U.F.) ostensibly fought its war (1991–2002) against corrupt government, the people of Sierra Leone were its victims. By the time the war was over, more than fifty thousand were dead, thousands more had been maimed, and over one million were displaced. Jackson relates the stories of political leaders and ordinary people trying to salvage their lives and livelihoods in the aftermath of cataclysmic violence. Combining these with his own knowledge of African folklore, history, and politics and with S. B.’s bittersweet memories—of his family’s rich heritage, his imprisonment as a political detainee, and his position in several of Sierra Leone’s post-independence governments—Jackson has created a work of elegiac, literary, and philosophical power.

More books from Duke University Press

Cover of the book The Brazil Reader by Michael D. Jackson
Cover of the book Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy by Michael D. Jackson
Cover of the book Global Shadows by Michael D. Jackson
Cover of the book The War Machines by Michael D. Jackson
Cover of the book Recognition Odysseys by Michael D. Jackson
Cover of the book The Labor of Job by Michael D. Jackson
Cover of the book The Red Riviera by Michael D. Jackson
Cover of the book The Color of Sex by Michael D. Jackson
Cover of the book Bacchanalian Sentiments by Michael D. Jackson
Cover of the book Violence in a Time of Liberation by Michael D. Jackson
Cover of the book Full Metal Apache by Michael D. Jackson
Cover of the book Revolutionary Medicine by Michael D. Jackson
Cover of the book Growing Explanations by Michael D. Jackson
Cover of the book From Two Republics to One Divided by Michael D. Jackson
Cover of the book Reclaiming the Political in Latin American History by Michael D. Jackson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy