article
'the past is far and the future is far': power and performance among Zulu migrant workers
American ethnologist • 19 (4) • Published In 1992 • Pages: 688-709
By: Erlmann, Veit.
Abstract
The study of ISICATHAMIYA, a tradition of competitive song and dance among Zulu migrant workers in South Africa, shows that performance is not necessarily a coherent expressive system with an underlying unitary organizing principle. The rich symbolic overlay in this tradition constitutes a performative, empowering strategy. It mediates migrant workers' ambiguous experience of alienation and powerlessness by framing social interaction in spheres of virtual time, constructing protective spaces, and metaphorically remodeling a social order beyond the given and now. This article focuses on the temporal organization of ISICATHAMIY, the internal organization of performance groups, the complex symbolic representation 'home' in choir names, the construction of hierarchical social relationships and gender inequity in performance roles, the ritualization of regional opposition in competition, and the aesthetic expression of conflict in panegyrical song texts and sound patterns (p. 688).
- HRAF PubDate
- 2005
- Region
- Africa
- Sub Region
- Southern Africa
- Document Type
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- John Beierle ; 2004
- Field Date
- no date
- Coverage Date
- ca. 1930s-1990s
- Coverage Place
- Glebe Hostel, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa
- Notes
- Veit Erlmann
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 706-709)
- LCCN
- 74644326
- LCSH
- Zulu (African people)