Book

The !Kung San: men, women, and work in a foraging society

Cambridge University PressCambridge, [Eng.] • Published In 1979 • Pages:

By: Lee, Richard B..

Abstract
This is a basic ethnographic source on the Dobe area San in Botswana. Based on intermittent fieldwork conducted between 1963 and 1973, Lee describes a hunting and gathering way of life which had all but disappeared by the end of his study. Although all aspects of !Kung life are explored, the emphasis on ecology and adaptation are evident in the attention paid to subsistence behavior, plant and animal life, and resource redistribution. In the last chapter, Lee details the changes in !Kung life, including their integration into a market economy and political struggle, which developed during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Fieldwork is carried out in the Dobe area which includes Xai xai, a camp 40 km from the main camp at Dobe.
Subjects
Community structure
Kin relationships
Settlement patterns
Fire
Collecting
Hunting and trapping
Food preparation
Informal in-group justice
Inter-community relations
Labor and leisure
Division of labor by gender
Ingroup antagonisms
Labor supply and employment
Acculturation and culture contact
culture
San
HRAF PubDate
2005
Region
Africa
Sub Region
Southern Africa
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
R. A. Wagner ; 1989
Field Date
1963-1973
Coverage Date
1963-1973
Coverage Place
Dobe area, Botswana and Namibia
Notes
Richard Borshay Lee
Includes bibliographical references (p. 495-512)
LCCN
78025904
LCSH
San (African people)