Not Just Child's Play: Emerging Tradition and the Lost Boys of Sudan - Softcover

McMahon, Felicia R.

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9781604734157: Not Just Child's Play: Emerging Tradition and the Lost Boys of Sudan
Softcover
ISBN 10: 1604734159 ISBN 13: 9781604734157
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi, 2009

Synopsis

Winner of the 2008 Chicago Folklore Prize

Felicia R. McMahon breaks new ground in the presentation and analysis of emerging traditions of the “Lost Boys,” a group of parentless youths who fled Sudan under tragic circumstances in the 1990s. With compelling insight, McMahon analyzes the oral traditions of the DiDinga Lost Boys, about whom very little is known. Her vibrant ethnography provides intriguing details about the performances and conversations of the young DiDinga in Syracuse, New York. It also offers important insights to scholars and others who work with refugee groups.

The author argues that the playful traditions she describes constitute a strategy by which these young men proudly position themselves as preservers of DiDinga culture and as harbingers of social change rather than as victims of war. Drawing ideas from folklore, linguistics, drama, and play theory, the author documents the danced songs of this unique group. Her inclusion of original song lyrics translated by the singers and descriptions of conversations convey the voices of the young men. Well researched and carefully developed, this book makes an original contribution to our understanding of refugee populations and tells a compelling story at the same time.

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About the Author

Felicia R. McMahon is a research professor in anthropology at Syracuse University. A former Fulbright Scholar, she has published in several folklore journals and is the coeditor of Children's Folklore: A Sourcebook, which won an American Folklore Society Opie Prize for Best Edited Book.

From the Inside Flap

A study of one group of Sudanese refugees and their efforts to hold on to their traditions

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Publisher
University Press of Mississippi
Publication date
2009
Language
English
ISBN 10 
1604734159
ISBN 13 
9781604734157
Binding
Paperback
Number of pages
228
Rating
  • 2.67 out of 5 stars
    6 ratings by Goodreads

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9781578069873: Not Just Child s Play: Emerging Tradition and the Lost Boys of Sudan

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  1578069874 ISBN 13:  9781578069873
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi, 2007
Hardcover