The Politics of Age and Gerontocracy in Africa Etnographies of the past & memories of the present Aguilar, Mario I. (ed.)

Since the studies of Paul Spencer on Samburu, Rendille, and Maasai in Kenya, age as a paradigm for the construction of social knowledge has been widely explored. African societies and cultures were portrayed as giving importance to elders, and creating status and social recognition through elaborate rituals that marked the passing of age. Those social notions and processes created a powerful perception of elderhood, and at the same time engendered gerontocratic mechanisms of political, ritual and economic control. The contributors, representing current intellectual traditions in Europe, Africa, and North America, provide case studies that help illustrate, and discuss such paradigms. Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania are represented as case studies.