The Anthropology of Texts, Persons and Publics (New Departures in Anthropology)
"The brilliance of Karin Barber's book unfolds in her analyses of oral and written texts - praise poetry, epic poems, songs, novels, letters, and unpublished journals - from a wide range of African cultures and historical periods. As we follow Barber's linguistically, culturally, and historically grounded analyses of specific texts, we gain layers of insight into a variety of cultures' constructions of personhood and publics at particular places and times." - Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute