Chisungu: A Girl's Initiation Ceremony Among the Bemba of Zambia

by Audrey I. Richards, Jessica Johnson (Foreword), Jean de la Fontaine (Introduction)

Audrey Richards (1899-1984) was a leading British anthropologist of the twentieth century and the first woman president of the Royal Anthropological Institute. Based on fieldwork conducted at a time when the discipline was dominated by male anthropologists, Chisungu: A Girl's Initiation Ceremony Among the Bemba of Zambia is widely hailed as a classic of anthropology and African and gender studies.



Underpinned by painstaking research carried out by Richards among the Bemba people in northern Zambia in the 1930s, Chisungu focuses on the initiation ceremonies for young Bemba girls. Pioneering the study of women's rituals and challenging the prevailing theory that rites of passage served merely to transfer individuals from one status to another, Richards writes about the incredibly rich and diverse aspects of ritual that characterised Chisungu: its concern with matriliny; deference to elders; sex and reproduction; the birth of children; ideas about the continuity between past, present and future; and the centrality of emotional conflict.



On a deeper level, Chisungu is a crucial work for the role it accords to the meaning of symbolism in explaining the structure of society, paving the way for much subsequent understanding of the role of symbolic meaning and kinship.



This Routledge Classics edition includes a new foreword by Jessica Johnson and an introduction by Jean La Fontaine.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction

210 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1956

Reviews

[Aamina · Rating 3 out of 5]

”What the chisungu makes clear is that successful womanhood is something that is taught and learned; it is not a ‘natural’ attribute, for a girl who has not had her chisungu performed is ‘an unforced pot’, ‘rubbish.’

An interesting account of Bemba culture and way of life, as well as insight into the nobility rites and the Chisungu, which is said to initiate girls from ‘girls’ into ‘women’. The seniority of age is emphasised as well as the sanctity of knowledge which is passed on between the generations. Its sad that such rites like the Chisungu are no longer practised. Though Audrey Richards attributes this to economic factors for example, I find it to be quite symbolic of the global decline in collectivism and community, as we see liberal ideas of ‘individualism’ plague societies globally. I wonder if other societies learnt from the Bemba the importance of community life, and whether or not imitating some parts of the chisungu, namely making a point of teaching girls the ways of womanhood, would make girls a lot more secure in their identities, as opposed to feeling that they have to navigate the world of womanhood unaccompanied.

V. Excited to study and explore this further later this year :)

[Wendy Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the class I read this for. Super informative, thought it was funny that Richards heavily implies that a lot of field research is winging it and navigating logistical difficulties.

[Kefeshe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read this for the Social Anthropology paper of my degree, but actually really enjoyed it! Interesting perspective on how the Bemba have used this ritual to solve the "matrilineal puzzle"

[Auburn Whi · Rating 4 out of 5]

V interesting and detailed. Richards is also quite reflexive of her own biases which is nice to see in such an old work. Would have liked to see more on how colonialism has led to the declining prevalence of chisungu and other rituals

[Astrid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un livre passionnant, et surtout très clair comparé aux autres ouvrages « universitaires » que j’ai pu lire jusqu’ici.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and very detailed, which can get confusing.