Consumption in Africa - Anthropological Approaches

The study of consumption, including such aspects as social differentiation, communication and the change of needs, has become a major field of study within material culture research. This volume unites a number of contributions with an anthropological approach focusing on the micro level. The holistic perspective of each of the contributions includes the observation of the widest range of local practices with regard to consumer goods. Ethnographic fieldwork shows that consumption in Africa, although related to the acquisition of globally accessible goods, is localized and appropriated. Thus, these consumer goods become part of the local material culture.§The contributions of this volume are the outcome of a workshop held at the African Studies Centre at Bayreuth University. Each chapter deals with the social dynamics engendered by new modes of consumption in a specific area. All contributions, reporting from different parts of Africa like Côte d'Ivoire, Zambia, Tanzania, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Niger, are based on extended ethnographic research.§Cover Photos: Bicycle owner and vendor of locally brewed beer in Kollo (Dép. de Tiébélé) on the way for the market, woman selling millet on the market of Zabré (both Burkina Faso)