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The Masons of Djenne

Author/Editor Marchand, Trevor (Author)
ISBN: 9780253220721
Pub Date 08/06/2009
Binding Paperback
Pages 376
Dimensions (mm) 235(h) * 155(w)
Renowned for its mud-brick architecture, monumental mosque, and merchant-traders' houses, Djenne remains one of Africa's most distinctive cities. This title describes the raising of a mud-brick house and explores the technical, social, and magical processes involved in making buildings and renewing the urban environment of Djenne.
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The town of Djenne on the Bani River in Mali has been a thriving settlement for more than two millennia. Renowned for its mud-brick architecture, monumental mosque, and merchant-traders' houses, Djenne remains one of Africa's most distinctive cities. The Masons of Djenne follows Trevor Marchand after he signs on as a builder's apprentice. Marchand takes readers on his journey from raw laborer to skilled craftsman. He explores the professional associations of masons, their social networks, training regimes, and changing fortunes. With his fellow builders, he produces mud bricks and plasters, constructs walls and ceilings, and sculpts rooftop crenellations using specialized tools. Marchand describes the raising of a mud-brick house and explores the technical, social, and magical processes involved in making buildings and renewing the unique urban environment of Djenne.

The town of Djenne on the Bani River in Mali has been a thriving settlement for more than two millennia. Renowned for its mud-brick architecture, monumental mosque, and merchant-traders' houses, Djenne remains one of Africa's most distinctive cities. The Masons of Djenne follows Trevor Marchand after he signs on as a builder's apprentice. Marchand takes readers on his journey from raw laborer to skilled craftsman. He explores the professional associations of masons, their social networks, training regimes, and changing fortunes. With his fellow builders, he produces mud bricks and plasters, constructs walls and ceilings, and sculpts rooftop crenellations using specialized tools. Marchand describes the raising of a mud-brick house and explores the technical, social, and magical processes involved in making buildings and renewing the unique urban environment of Djenne.

Trevor H. J. Marchand is Professor of Social Anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He is author of Minaret Building and Apprenticeship in Yemen.

Contents<\> Acknowledgments A Note on Language Introduction: The Field and the Work Part 1. Elementary Lessons in the Art of Building 1. Back to Work 2. Staking a Claim 3. Magic and Mortar 4. Conflict and Resolution Part 2. Portraits of Life and Work in Djenne 5. Master and Apprentice 6. The Michelangelo of Djenne 7. Vulnerable Craftsmen 8. Cat Heads and Mud Miters 9. Yappi's Confession 10. Finishing Off Epilogue: Continuity and Change Glossary Notes Bibliography Index

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