The Decline of Marriage in Namibia: Kinship and Social Class in a Rural Community

In Southern Africa, marriage used to be widespread and common. However, over the past decades marriage rates have declined significantly. Julia Pauli explores the meaning of marriage when only few marry. Although marriage rates have dropped sharply, the value of weddings and marriages has not. To marry has become an indicator of upper-class status that less affluent people aspire to. Using the appropriation of marriage by a rural Namibian elite as a case study, the book tells the entwined stories of class formation and marriage decline in post-apartheid Namibia

Introduction: How to write ethnography?

Ethnography, as text, is the main outcome of fieldwork. It is also the most important way in which anthropologists communicate and share their findings. As a consequence, despite substantial critique by postmodern anthropology on how ethnographic texts in the past have represented the reality and life-worlds of others, ethnographic writing remains at the centre of the anthropological enterprise. But how to write? The so-called Writing Culture debate, together with feminist and postcolonial approaches, has stimulated new ways to do and write ethnography. But where much has been published on how to master fieldwork, it is still hard to find advice on how to go ‘from notes to narratives’ (Ghodsee 2016) and write a convincing ethnography. This special issue brings together a diverse range of contributions on how to write ethnography. Contributors reflect on ethical challenges, including issues of confidentiality and questions of representation. Writing is discussed as a way to construct and deconstruct truth(s). Temporalities of ethnographic writing are scrutinised and different writing styles, like vignettes and portraits, are introduced. Engagement with other modes of representation and storytelling, like film-making and photography, pushes beyond the written medium. The special issue concludes with two contributions on how to teach and learn ethnographic writing

The Decline of Marriage in Namibia

In Southern Africa, marriage used to be widespread and common. However, over the past decades marriage rates have declined significantly. Julia Pauli explores the meaning of marriage when only few marry. Although marriage rates have dropped sharply, the value of weddings and marriages has not. To marry has become an indicator of upper-class status that less affluent people aspire to. Using the appropriation of marriage by a rural Namibian elite as a case study, the book tells the entwined stories of class formation and marriage decline in post-apartheid Namibia

"Blood tests with the eyes": negotiating conjugal relations during the HIV/AIDS crisis in rural Namibia

Research from different parts of Africa indicates that to grasp the HIV/AIDS catastrophe, an in-depth understanding of conjugal relationships is crucial. In casual, short-term sexual interactions, safer sex practices, foremost condom use, have become more and more prevalent. This does not hold true for long-term relationships. Marriage rates have substantially declined in many parts of southern Africa. Without marriage as a possible frame for conjugal relations meanings and practices of 'love' have become the structuring concept of conjugality. Love relations are perceived as based on trust. This contradicts the use of condoms, a visible sign of mistrust. Based on long-term ethnographic field research in rural northwest Namibia we analyse the interconnections between conjugal relations, perceptions of risk and practices of safe sex in detail

Introduction

Ethnography, as text, is the main outcome of fieldwork. It is also the most important way in which anthropologists communicate and share their findings. As a consequence, despite substantial critique by postmodern anthropology on how ethnographic texts in the past have represented the reality and life-worlds of others, ethnographic writing remains at the centre of the anthropological enterprise. But how to write? The so-called Writing Culture debate, together with feminist and postcolonial approaches, has stimulated new ways to do and write ethnography. But where much has been published on how to master fieldwork, it is still hard to find advice on how to go ‘from notes to narratives’ (Ghodsee 2016) and write a convincing ethnography. This special issue brings together a diverse range of contributions on how to write ethnography. Contributors reflect on ethical challenges, including issues of confidentiality and questions of representation. Writing is discussed as a way to construct and deconstruct truth(s). Temporalities of ethnographic writing are scrutinised and different writing styles, like vignettes and portraits, are introduced. Engagement with other modes of representation and storytelling, like film-making and photography, pushes beyond the written medium. The special issue concludes with two contributions on how to teach and learn ethnographic writing

Was bedeutet Heirat, wenn nur noch wenige heiraten? : Zum Wandel von Heirats- und Konsumpraktiken in Namibia

Zu heiraten war in vielen Regionen Afrikas lange Zeit weit verbreitet und üblich. Wie ethnologische Arbeiten der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts zeigen, war Heirat vor der Kolonialzeit eines der wichtigsten Übergangsrituale und strukturierte alle Bereiche des Lebens. Seit einigen Jahrzehnten sind die Heiratsraten allerdings in vielen afrikanischen Ländern dramatisch gesunken. Anhand einer ethnographischen Fallstudie aus dem ländlichen Namibia untersucht der Beitrag, welche Bedeutung Heirat heute in einer Region hat, in der kaum noch geheiratet wird. Dabei zeigt sich, dass Hochzeiten trotz geringer Heiratsraten nicht an Wert verloren haben. Vielmehr scheint die neu entstandene Exklusivität von Hochzeiten, die das Resultat eines kostspieligen Aneignungsprozesses lokaler und globaler Konsumgüter ist, den Wert des Heiratens noch zu steigern. Damit kann auch erklärt werden, warum das jahrzehntelange Warten auf eine Hochzeit für viele unverheiratete Frauen wie Männer akzeptabel wird.On the meaning of marriage when only few marry. Transformations of marriage and consumption practices in Namibia As anthropological research from the first half of the twentieth century indicates, in pre-colonial Africa marriage was a universal and widespread rite of transition that structured all areas of life. For several decades now, however, marriage rates have been declining in various African regions. Based on an ethnographic case study from rural Namibia, this article scrutinizes the meaning of marriage when only few marry. Although marriage rates have dropped sharply, the value of weddings and marriages has not. Quite the opposite: because of the contemporary exclusivity of weddings, resulting from appropriations of local and global consumption goods, the value of marriage has increased. This also explains why many unmarried women and men endure years of waiting for marriage

Was bedeutet Heirat, wenn nur noch wenige heiraten? Zum Wandel von Heirats- und Konsumpraktiken in Namibia

"Zu heiraten war in vielen Regionen Afrikas lange Zeit weit verbreitet und üblich. Wie ethnologische Arbeiten der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts zeigen, war Heirat vor der Kolonialzeit eines der wichtigsten Übergangsrituale und strukturierte alle Bereiche des Lebens. Seit einigen Jahrzehnten sind die Heiratsraten allerdings in vielen afrikanischen Ländern dramatisch gesunken. Anhand einer ethnographischen Fallstudie aus dem ländlichen Namibia untersucht der Beitrag, welche Bedeutung Heirat heute in einer Region hat, in der kaum noch geheiratet wird. Dabei zeigt sich, dass Hochzeiten trotz geringer Heiratsraten nicht an Wert verloren haben. Vielmehr scheint die neu entstandene Exklusivität von Hochzeiten, die das Resultat eines kostspieligen Aneignungsprozesses lokaler und globaler Konsumgüter ist, den Wert des Heiratens noch zu steigern. Damit kann auch erklärt werden, warum das jahrzehntelange Warten auf eine Hochzeit für viele unverheiratete Frauen wie Männer akzeptabel wird." (Autorenreferat)"As anthropological research from the first half of the twentieth century indicates, in pre-colonial Africa marriage was a universal and widespread rite of transition that structured all areas of life. For several decades now, however, marriage rates have been declining in various African regions. Based on an ethnographic case study from rural Namibia, this article scrutinizes the meaning of marriage when only few marry. Although marriage rates have dropped sharply, the value of weddings and marriages has not. Quite the opposite: because of the contemporary exclusivity of weddings, resulting from appropriations of local and global consumption goods, the value of marriage has increased. This also explains why many unmarried women and men endure years of waiting for marriage." (author's abstract

How to write? Experiences, challenges and possibilities of ethnographic writing

Ethnography, as text, is the main outcome of fieldwork. It is also the most important way in which anthropologists communicate and share their findings. As a consequence, despite substantial critique by postmodern anthropology on how ethnographic texts in the past have represented the reality and life-worlds of others, ethnographic writing remains at the centre of the anthropological enterprise. But how to write? The so-called Writing Culture debate, together with feminist and postcolonial approaches, has stimulated new ways to do and write ethnography. But where much has been published on how to master fieldwork, it is still hard to find advice on how to go ‘from notes to narratives’ (Ghodsee 2016) and write a convincing ethnography. This special issue brings together a diverse range of contributions on how to write ethnography. Contributors reflect on ethical challenges, including issues of confidentiality and questions of representation. Writing is discussed as a way to construct and deconstruct truth(s). Temporalities of ethnographic writing are scrutinised and different writing styles, like vignettes and portraits, are introduced. Engagement with other modes of representation and storytelling, like film-making and photography, pushes beyond the written medium. The special issue concludes with two contributions on how to teach and learn ethnographic writing

No Magic! Teaching Ethnographic Writing

In this essay, I reflect on my experiences in teaching ethnographic writing to graduate anthropology students over the last decade. After years of experimenting with different course formats and ethnographic exercises, the anthropology department in Hamburg now offers two courses on ethnographic writing before fieldwork and one course after students have returned from the field. The first course, taken before students conduct their master’s fieldwork, focuses on reading ethnographies. It draws on John van Maanen’s (1988 [2011]) Tales of the Field to explore different writing styles and guides students to imitate these styles in different writing exercises. The second preparatory course introduces students to ethnographic writing through the observation of everyday interactions. Students observe, take notes, and write ethnographic narratives about visits to a playground, an elevator ride, or lunchtime in the university cafeteria. When students return from their master’s fieldwork, they finally participate in the ‘Ethnographic Writing Workshop’. Here students write and revise key ethnographic scenes, dialogues, and portraits derived from their fieldwork. This set of ethnographic writing courses encourages students to read (more) ethnographies, reflect on writing styles, and work on their own writing in groups and by themselves. With this essay, I want to initiate a dialogue about different approaches to teaching ethnographic writing

Introduction

Ethnography, as text, is the main outcome of fieldwork. It is also the most important way in which anthropologists communicate and share their findings. As a consequence, despite substantial critique by postmodern anthropology on how ethnographic texts in the past have represented the reality and life-worlds of others, ethnographic writing remains at the centre of the anthropological enterprise. But how to write? The so-called Writing Culture debate, together with feminist and postcolonial approaches, has stimulated new ways to do and write ethnography. But where much has been published on how to master fieldwork, it is still hard to find advice on how to go ‘from notes to narratives’ (Ghodsee 2016) and write a convincing ethnography. This special issue brings together a diverse range of contributions on how to write ethnography. Contributors reflect on ethical challenges, including issues of confidentiality and questions of representation. Writing is discussed as a way to construct and deconstruct truth(s). Temporalities of ethnographic writing are scrutinised and different writing styles, like vignettes and portraits, are introduced. Engagement with other modes of representation and storytelling, like film-making and photography, pushes beyond the written medium. The special issue concludes with two contributions on how to teach and learn ethnographic writing