Artikel

Zelfmoord in West-Afrika: poging tot het opstellen van een typologie

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Abstract

Suicide in West-Africa. Attempt to frame a typology - In a series of articles by Wymeersch (1976, 1978), the author deals with the problem of suicide in Zaire. He treats the matter as well as philosophical as on anthropological research done in the field. His treatment was further based on all known literature (at the time) concerning the matter. In present article the author wants to try to broaden the view, developed by Wymeersch, and apply it to West Africa. Different sources of information were consulted, namely, travelling stories, ethnographic descriptions and anthropological research documentation. The basic question was to look if there is a possibility of putting forward a typology of the phenomenon ‘suicide’ and if so is there a possible correlation with the findings of Wymeersch. We will deal with the matter as well philosophical (what is the spiritual attitude towards suicide) as anthropological (what is there to be found in the field, physical attitude). The first part of the article is devoted to the notion of ‘suicide’. We are obliged to look at the Western definitions of the notion before we can place it in addition or contradiction with the ‘African’ counterpart. We here discover a difference, not only in sign and meaning but also in treatment. In the second part of the article we will look at several reports on the matter, starting back at one of the earliest reports(the end of the 19th century) on the matter and continue to the more recent ones. This will not only give us an insight into the development and treatment of the phenomenon by researchers but also permits us to grasp the gradually shifting of European notions towards the use of African ones.

How to Cite:

Bogers, K., (1984) “Zelfmoord in West-Afrika: poging tot het opstellen van een typologie”, Tijdschrift voor Sociale Wetenschappen 29(4), 292–306. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tvsw.94885