{"product_id":"the-afterlife-is-where-we-come-from-the-culture-of-infancy-in-west-africa-paperback","title":"The Afterlife Is Where We Come from: The Culture of Infancy in West Africa - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAlma Gottlieb\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen a new baby arrives among the Beng people of West Africa, they see it not as being born, but as being reincarnated after a rich life in a previous world. Far from being a tabula rasa, a Beng infant is thought to begin its life filled with spiritual knowledge. How do these beliefs affect the way the Beng rear their children? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In this unique and engaging ethnography of babies, Alma Gottlieb explores how religious ideology affects every aspect of Beng childrearing practices-from bathing infants to protecting them from disease to teaching them how to crawl and walk-and how widespread poverty limits these practices. A mother of two, Gottlieb includes moving discussions of how her experiences among the Beng changed the way she saw her own parenting. Throughout the book she also draws telling comparisons between Beng and Euro-American parenting, bringing home just how deeply culture matters to the way we all rear our children. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e All parents and anyone interested in the place of culture in the lives of infants, and vice versa, will enjoy \u003ci\u003eThe Afterlife Is Where We Come From.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"This wonderfully reflective text should provide the impetus for formulating research possibilities about infancy and toddlerhood for this century.\" - Caren J. Frost, \u003ci\u003eMedical Anthropology Quarterly\u003c\/i\u003e \"Alma Gottlieb's careful and thought-provoking account of infancy sheds spectacular light upon a much neglected topic. . . . [It] makes a strong case for the central place of babies in anthropological accounts of religion. Gottlieb's remarkably rich account, delivered after a long and reflective period of gestation, deserves a wide audience across a range of disciplines.\"-Anthony Simpson, \u003ci\u003eCritique of Anthropology\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen a new baby arrives among the Beng people of West Africa, they see it not as being born, but as being reincarnated after a rich life in a previous world. Far from being a tabula rasa, a Beng infant is thought to begin its life filled with spiritual knowledge. How do these beliefs affect the way the Beng rear their children? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this unique and engaging ethnography of babies, Alma Gottlieb explores how religious ideology affects every aspect of Beng childrearing practices--from bathing infants to protecting them from disease to teaching them how to crawl and walk--and how widespread poverty limits these practices. A mother of two, Gottlieb includes moving discussions of how her experiences among the Beng changed the way she saw her own parenting. Throughout the book she also draws telling comparisons between Beng and Euro-American parenting, bringing home just how deeply culture matters to the way we all rear our children. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAll parents and anyone interested in the place of culture in the lives of infants, and vice versa, will enjoy \u003ci\u003eThe Afterlife Is Where We Come From.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlma Gottlieb\u003c\/b\u003e, professor of anthropology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, is the author of \u003ci\u003eUnder the Kapok Tree: Identity and Difference in Beng Thought\u003c\/i\u003e and coauthor of \u003ci\u003eParallel Worlds: An Anthropologist and a Writer Encounter Africa\u003c\/i\u003e, both published by the University of Chicago Press. She is also the coeditor, most recently, of \u003ci\u003eA World of Babies: Imagined Childcare Guides for Seven Societies\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 404\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.81 x 8.98 x 6.1 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e January 01, 2004\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45277011673190,"sku":"9780226305028","price":76.26,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0599\/7255\/0758\/files\/UmlUVDZGekZIRzR1cTdKM3d0blI4UT09.webp?v=1773903025","url":"https:\/\/infinitylightwa.com\/products\/the-afterlife-is-where-we-come-from-the-culture-of-infancy-in-west-africa-paperback","provider":"Infinity Light","version":"1.0","type":"link"}