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Fine if I Do, Fine if I Don’t. Dynamics of Technical Knowledge in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Investigating Archaeological Cultures

Abstract

In our “global village,” things and practices are currently diffused over such large areas that few, if any, relationships seem to exist anymore between their spatial distribution and salient cultural boundaries. Global products, such as powder milk, canned fish, or digital watches, are found everywhere, from the fringes of Greenland to the heart of the rainforest, as are cities congested with Japanese cars, boys impersonating the football star of the day, or adults greeting each other with a handshake. These elements have given rise to a form of “world cultural landscape,” so pervasive in our daily experience that we do not pay attention to it anymore.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The notion of “motivation” covers a great number of factors as demonstrated by Wallaert (2000, 2008).

  2. 2.

    These wares are sometimes marketed as toys, which provides an incentive for apprentices to pursue in the learning process (Etienne-Nuge and Saley 1987; Owusu-Ansah 1973; Traoré 1985).

  3. 3.

    For example: “One may add dung to the clay if the amount of grog available is not sufficient”; “One may add millet husk to the clay if it is too wet.” Note that if local representations change, secondary techniques may regain a primary status.

  4. 4.

    Both are available in comparable quantities in the region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre d’anthropologie culturelle, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium & GAES

    Olivier P. Gosselain

  2. University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Olivier P. Gosselain

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  1. Olivier P. Gosselain
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Correspondence to Olivier P. Gosselain .

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  1. Dept. Prehistory & Europe, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG, United Kingdom

    Benjamin W. Roberts

  2. , School of Archaeology and Ancient Histor, Leicester University, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, United Kingdom

    Marc Vander Linden

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Gosselain, O.P. (2011). Fine if I Do, Fine if I Don’t. Dynamics of Technical Knowledge in Sub-Saharan Africa. In: Roberts, B., Vander Linden, M. (eds) Investigating Archaeological Cultures. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6970-5_11

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