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" Suffering peacefully : "
Harland, Charlotte Sarah
Bevan, Philippa
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Latin Dissertation
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| Record Number
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1096963
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| Doc. No
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TLets492236
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| Main Entry
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Harland, Charlotte Sarah
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| Title & Author
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Suffering peacefully :\ Harland, Charlotte SarahBevan, Philippa
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| College
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University of Bath
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| Date
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2008
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| student score
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2008
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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| Abstract
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This study examines the marginalisation ofthe remote Chiawa community over manydecades. It shows how, despite persistent adversity and insecurity, the community derivesresilience, stability and meaning through strong cultural structures (including witchcraftbeliefs, traditional leadership and Christian churches). However, the analysis suggests thathigh levels ofdependence on cultural structures in circumstances of marginalisationprompts their configuration in a manner that entrenches isolation, further diminishingprospects of improving livelihoods or integrating more closely into the mainstream ofnational dialogue and identity.The theoretical basis for this study combines political economy and actor-orientedframeworks to analyse interface between actors and structures from local and nationallevels, developing a detailed understanding ofhow actors are able to construct meaning andattach value to their actions and experience. National level analysis describes the unequaldistribution ofwelfare and resources, showing how power structures restrict the agency thatmarginalised people command. In contrast, local level analysis identifies alternativeavenues for agency, showing how interface with local structures provides opportunities thatshape the actions and choices that people make. Tracking the linkages between these levelsover time creates insights into how people interpret and respond to possibilities ofchange.The research provides lessons for thinking about poverty and change beyond the researchcommunity. It demonstrates how combining sociological and political analyses candescribe both poverty and indeed people's lives within complex social, political andcultural contexts. Whilst local cultural structures appear to create political settlements andsocial order that both compensates for but inadvertently entrenches marginalisation, thethesis highlights the need to distinguish cause and effect carefully. It is argued that whilstcultural structures may appear to provide a means of managing external hostility, theyshould nonetheless be principally understood as a tool for marginalisation by those whoconsequently enjoy greater power.
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| Added Entry
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Bevan, Philippa
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| Added Entry
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University of Bath
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