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Majorie Shostak

Nisa: The Life and Words of a !Kung Woman Paperback – November 1, 2000

by Marjorie Shostak (Author)

4.5 206 ratings

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This classic paperback is available once again―and exclusively―from Harvard University Press. This book is the story of the life of Nisa, a member of the !Kung tribe of hunter-gatherers from southern Africa’s Kalahari desert. Told in her own words―earthy, emotional, vivid―to Marjorie Shostak, a Harvard anthropologist who succeeded, with Nisa’s collaboration, in breaking through the immense barriers of language and culture, the story is a fascinating view of a remarkable woman.

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Harvard University Press
Publication date

November 1, 2000
Dimensions

6.19 x 0.99 x 9.15 inches
ISBN-10

9780674004320
ISBN-13

978-0674004320
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“When I reread Nisa, as I have done regularly in teaching over the years, I experience its originality, poignancy, and excitement afresh each time. Few books that were so influential in changing the look and feel of ethnography for entire generations of anthropologists have held up so well. It is a classic, with currency and continuing possibility.”―George Marcus, Professor of Anthropology, Rice University

“[A] scrupulous, sad, exciting book.”―New York Times

“We have a remarkable anthropologist to thank for an absorbing account.”―New York Review of Books

“Both Nisa and Shostak are unusual people, and their collaboration has resulted in an unparalleled account of !Kung life from a personal rather than social or ecological perspective. Even more important, their work results in a revelation of the universality of women's experiences and feelings despite vast differences in culture and society. Nisa helps us know what it means to be !Kung, to be a woman, and finally, to be human.”―Choice

“Nisa is a humbling and inspiring book.”―Tim Jeal, Wall Street Journal

About the Author

Marjorie Shostak was a Research Associate in the Department of Anthropology at Emory University and an award-winning photographer.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0674004329
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harvard University Press; 4th Edition (November 1, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780674004320
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0674004320
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.19 x 0.99 x 9.15 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #236,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #215 in General Anthropology
- #656 in Cultural Anthropology (Books)
- #2,782 in Women's Biographies

Customer Reviews:
4.5 206 ratings

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4.5 out of 5

206 global ratings

5 star		75%
4 star		11%
3 star		10%
2 star		2%
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Kristen

One of my all-time favorite ethnographies and an absolute stable in anthropology

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 20, 2017

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I love, love, love this book. I initially read it for a college class in anthropology, but after reading many other ethonographies and ultimately getting my degree in anthropology, Nisa remains one of my all-time favorites. Nisa is a classic in the field, written by Marjorie Shostak of her field work in the 60's and 70's on of !Kung people in Souther Africa through the narrations of one !Kung woman, Nisa. The !Kung are significant in anthropology because they are one of the few peoples in the world that maintain a modern hunter-gatherer lifestyle (at least at the time of Shostak's fieldwork). Thus, they represent a lifestyle that human beings have lived for thousands of years dating back to the earliest hunter-gatherers. It's how we lived for the majority of our evolutionary time, and thus modern hunter-gatherers shed precious light on humanity's origins. Unlike most ethnographies and most social science texts more broadly, Nisa is primarily informed by one voice: Nisa's. The book consists of interviews conducted over time between Shostak and Nisa with the purpose of Nisa bestowing her own knowledge upon Shostak as a younger woman about what it means to be a woman. Each chapter chronicles a period of Nisa's life, which she tells to illustrate not only her own stories by central truths and life lessons. Of course, these are all according to one person, an older woman with a lifetime of lived experience through the lens of her own culture. Topics include growing up, marriage, taking lovers, being a mother, and losing those closest to you. Shostak begins the book with a long introduction describing the !Kung people and putting their culture into context for Western readers, including the !Kung language, traditions, family structures, group dynamics, migration, diet, etc. Then each chapter begins with an introduction to the topic based on Shostak's fieldwork with the whole community followed by Nisa's individual stories and insights. Overall, Nisa is an enigmatic, funny, unique, talented, and captivating storyteller selected by Shostak as narrator for these very reasons. This book is a treasure, and is certain to teach readers much about human truths according to one incredible woman. It's a must-read for anyone interested in womanhood, culture, modern hunter-gatherer societies, African peoples, anthropology, and human kind.

11 people found this helpful

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Downfall2448

Interesting Ethnography

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 9, 2012

Verified Purchase

Purchased this book for an anthropology class. It was one of the better books that I've read this last quarter, if not my career as a student. On the other hand, if you are not interested in different cultures, there is nothing wrong with that, then you will not like this book. It is best to read this book with an open mind and try your best not to be ethnocentric. Meaning that certain topics of the book are taboo in our culture, but it is accepted in their culture. According to this book, the !Kung from Botswana live a very interesting and different [to our own] lives. Majorie Shostak did a great job writing this ethnography, and really capturing the voice of "Nisa". Recommended for the person who likes traveling to learn and understand culture.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

zebesta

sociology, cultural, history, anthropology

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 17, 2020

Verified Purchase

Love this book. Where else could you get a narrative from a culture that is prehistoric and in the matter of a couple of decades heads into the 20th century, not to mention a woman who bares her soul. Nisa crosses all cultural and time barriers and most woman will recognize themselves in her.

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Even better than expected

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 25, 2021

Verified Purchase

It came exactly as described and looks pretty much new. I needed this for a college course so it was a great cheap option and works perfectly

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Patricia Kranish

Nisa Talks and Still Keeps Her Secrets

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 4, 2011

Verified Purchase

Nisa talks a great deal, but somehow the inner life of the !Kung is never revealed. A trance state is referred to throughout the book, but what does it feel like when one is "trancing"? One dies and goes to some indeterminate place "up there"? I realize it is impossible for a European to live like a !Kung among the !Kung because of the wide economic disparities and the tradition of gift exchange (among the many problems the author acknowledges right from the start of the book) but a deeper look into their interior life would have been welcomed.
Despite Nisa's stilted language, which may be the fault of the translator, there is much to learn here.

2 people found this helpful

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honey1112

people should forget the bible and read this book

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 25, 2013

Verified Purchase

i loved 'nisa'. i've read a lot of books in my life - in four different languages, all kinds of topics, in recent years mostly scientific ones. with this i mean to say, it was not easy for 'nisa' to break into top five of all the books for me.
but it happened.
'nisa' changes the way you feel like a women: about men, about raising childrean, about life in general.
'nisa' puts things in a different perspective. in the perspective in which we have spent 99% of our time on earth, so i think it is OK if i call it 'right perspective'. thank you marjorie shostak, i am sad that you died, but hope your book and your scientific papers will live forever.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Zubaida Mou

Highly satisfied

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 30, 2021

Highly satisfied

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 20, 2011

Verified Purchase

This book was an eye opener on so many different levels. As a woman, being privy to the manner in which women in other cultures live was simply shocking. From an anthropological perspective the effects of globalization and westernization was heartbreaking to say the least. And as a human being, it helped bring back into light the fact that although we are all different we are all the same. Please take the time to read and enjoy this beautiful ethnography.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Gordon Toumaniantz

then she's a wonderful human being

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 20, 2014

Verified Purchase

We'll never know if the words and meanings are really those of Nisa. If, yes, then she's a wonderful human being, and with perhaps the last of the hunter-gatherer tribes. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

One person found this helpful

anon

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 8, 2014

Verified Purchase

not finished it yet - but very interesting so far.

Anna Cataldi

very very interesting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on January 30, 2018

Verified Purchase

a wanderful very interesting book

Brad Cassidy

Clear and thought provoking.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on February 25, 2021

Verified Purchase

Shostak provides good solid information on the culture of the !Kung which is very useful background, especially were one new to this people. However, the real gem in this work are the thoughts and words of Nisa. With clarity and unselfconscious authenticity Nisa paints a portrait of her life and her people. Not only does the reader learn of their ways and world-view, but the reader is also drawn to question their own biases and judgements. An extremely worthwhile read for anyone who would understand the human condition better.

Paige Lucas

Textbook

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on September 14, 2020

Verified Purchase

Bought as a textbook for class, was great! Came right away

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