Pende (Visions of Africa) [Paperback]

Z. S. Strother (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2007 | ISBN-10: 8874393849 | ISBN-13: 978-8874393848

Although many societies in the Congo were once renowned for vibrant masquerades and architectural sculpture, these phenomena have only been studied as living traditions among a handful of peoples, most notably the Pende. Building on the extended fieldwork of numerous researchers since the 1950s, this text offers a unique window into the dynamic performance contexts of both masquerade and architecture in Central Africa. As much as possible, it privileges Pende voices as it seeks to understand the interrelationship between ritual practice and aesthetic form. Attentive to history, the text also records how these artistic practices have responded (sometimes unpredictably) to both colonial and post-colonial pressures. Lavish illustrations feature both iconic and hitherto unpublished masterworks, which have been selected to evoke the full range of Pende expression. Visions of Africa is a series devoted to the arts of Africa grouped according to the different populations. Each volume follows two main g

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Z. S. Strother is Riggio Professor of African art at Columbia University in the City of New York. She was trained in art history at Yale University, where she received her Ph.D in 1992. Since then, she has published extensively on African visual culture, including Inventing Masks: Agency and History in the Art of the Central Pende (University of Chicago Press, 1998), which received the the Arnold Rubin Outstanding Publication Award for Original scholarship published between 1998-2000. This research is based on 32 months of fieldwork among the Eastern and Central Pende, 1987-89. Her current research focuses on untangling the history of iconoclasm in Africa.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: 5Continents (October 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 8874393849
• ISBN-13: 978-8874393848
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,229,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Mix of Fieldwork and Scholarship, December 22, 2010

By 

Kushka53 "journalist" (NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pende (Visions of Africa) (Paperback)

The Pende masks and masquerading tradition are some of the most interesting in Africa, and yet they still remain fairly unknown to the general public and average collector.
With this sort of book, there is often a fine line between those who do field work and those who study from afar. Both camps can yield worthy results, but a presence in one or the other is not a necessary prerequisite for a competent analysis. However, in this case the author, a professor at Columbia University, delivers both in a rigorous and satisfying manner, and I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more. This is a well written, well researched, interesting book with lots of photos, and I would hope to see an expanded version of it down the road before these traditions are gone for good.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Few informations, poor analysis, February 13, 2011

By 

Luca Mirabile - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pende (Visions of Africa) (Paperback)

Visions of Africa Series don't satisfy me at all. These books are not impressive. Few informations, beautiful color pictures but few in number (just 50 each book), overall poor analysis of each tribe. At least, could be better to print three "Visions of Africa" books in one volume at the same price - 144 pages for 21$ is a wicked commercial choice by the publisher. I'm giving 2/5 just because of the beautiful pictures - my vote could be 1/5.
About Pende tribe, "Inventing Masks: Agency and History in the Art of the Central Pende" by the same author (Z. S. Strother) is ten times better than this book, and the most complete book on the arts of Central and Eastern Pende ever printed until today.