Customer Reviews

The Underneath of Things: Violence, History, and the Everyday in Sierra Leone

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Honestly, I couldn't make heads or tails of this book - and I am an entirely over-educated offspring of academics, a native speaker of English, and a voracious reader. I just didn't understand the words! I purchased this book before moving to Sierra Leone to manage an aid program, hoping to gain insight into the people I would be living and working with. This book, however, was more about anthropological theory than the Mende people; it served to illustrate academic points rather than the cultural world they inhabit. Entire chapters were devoted to such esoterica as the meaning of "twins" and the supreme symbolic significance of placement of hammocks vs. stools within the household. Meanwhile, the prose is peppered with endless usage of such words as "homologous" and "hermeutic" along with liberal sprinklings of Mende words - which are defined the first time they are used, but as there is no glossary to subsequently refer to by the end of the book the reader is lost in linguistic gobbledy-gook.

I am sure that this book has contributed to academic inquiry -- but from my perspective, I have never read an entire book about a people and place and learned so little about them.

..or involving some "navel-gazing" as one of my professors once put it. Ferme is working within post-structuralist and practice-theory paradigms, which borrow heavily from literary criticism, so you will run into some rather abstract ideas/terms. That's not to say that the book isn't enjoyable--just make sure you have Wikipedia pulled up so that you can quickly review the ideas she is referencing.

Ferme's central argument is that Sierra Leone's violent history of subjugation by the West as well as its more recent civil conflicts have necessitated secrecy and produced a system of social meaning in which objects and practices, which on the surface appear mundane and everyday, are laden with hidden symbolism and meaning (the "underneath" of things).

Ferme's analysis is sensitive and seems to be well-informed but (at times) can tread close to speculation as it is largely based on observational data. Her conclusion really brings the work together, however. Ferme states that Mende cultural logic, which allows for ambiguity, fluidity and mediation, demonstrates the agency and creativity Mende women and man have employed in dealing with the instability and contestation of power associated with Sierra Leone's violent history.

All in all, a great ethnography!

I am using this book to gather data for my M.A. thesis on Mende women. Considering the fact that I have not traveled to Mendeland, I cannot gauge the accuracy of Ferme's interpretations and meanings. However, like the other reviewers, this book is very academic and it doesn't seem like Ferme can decide whether she is writing for the academy or for people who actually want to learn about Mende culture.

I appreciated how Ferme examined the way objects are gendered and the roles objects play in everyday Mende life. However, be prepared to struggle through terms like "semiotic" or "transmogrifying"... :0

Nevertheless, a very important contribution to your library on West African culture and useful insights on practices such as hair braiding, fishing and masquerades.

This is a deeply researched piece on Mende beliefs and customs by a Social Anthropologist. It claims to be on Violence,History, and the Everyday in Sierra Leone. This it does not accomplish. It is rather a study of a certain tribe and limited to a defined geographic location within Sierra Leone.For someone interested in Mende culture it makes good reading,familiarizes one with unusual cultural practices. On the whole it gives you a better understanding of common phehomena which the casual by-stander would count as nought. It however requires concentrated reading, and for those who have travelled in Mendeland much reflection on incidents and practices that were once observed. I recommend this book for any student of African Philosophy, travellers, and also the casual curious types.
Ked E. James, M.D.
Petal, MS.

I purchased this book as a resouce for my senior thesis and am not disappointed at all. Ferme writes honestly and openly about the issues surrounding Sierra Leone and how the people have worked through political take-overs, colonization and a violent history while keeping their cultural values in tact.