SOAS Research Online

A Free Database of the Latest Research by SOAS Academics and PhD Students

[skip to content]

Marchand, Trevor H.J. and Arnoldi, Mary Jo (2013) Mud Masons of Mali, Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, in the African Voices Hall Focus Gallery. [Shows/Exhibitions]

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

This exhibition introduces a community of craftsmen who design, build and maintain Djenné's architectural heritage. The exhibition contents explore everyday challenges that masons encounter on their worksites and the tactics and strategies that they employ to control spiritual forces, manage culturally-diverse work teams, and creatively build with limited means and within a setting dominated by ideals of ‘timeless tradition’. Following the recent political upheaval in Mali and the resulting collapse of tourism, foreign aid and the national economy more generally, Djenné’s masons are operating in a period of pronounced austerity and uncertainty. The exhibition documents this challenging period through the experiences, concerns and hopes voiced by five masons, each one representing a different generation.

Item Type: Shows/Exhibitions
Keywords: mud-brick architecture, masonry, apprenticeship, heritage politics, livelihood strategies, Mali, West Africa, Djenne
SOAS Departments & Centres: Legacy Departments > Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Department of Anthropology and Sociology
Date Deposited: 24 Jul 2013 09:01
URI: https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/id/eprint/16782

Altmetric Data

There is no Altmetric data currently associated with this item.

Statistics

Download activity - last 12 monthsShow export options
Downloads since deposit
6 month trend
0Downloads
6 month trend
555Hits
Accesses by country - last 12 monthsShow export options
Accesses by referrer - last 12 monthsShow export options

Repository staff only

Edit Item Edit Item