Estranged belongings: A moral economy of theft in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.  

Oleh:

Newell, Sasha

Jenis: Article from Journal - ilmiah internasional
Dalam koleksi: Anthropological Theory vol. 06 no. 02 (Jun. 2006), page 179.
Topik: Abidjan ; Côte d’Ivoire ; exchange ; moral economy ; social networks ; stranger ; theft ; urban
Fulltext: 179.pdf (184.14KB)

Isi artikel

Arguing that ethnographies of cities must do more than highlight their fluid, boundless nature, this article seeks forms of social order produced in tension with forces of dissolution. I argue that even in the society of thieves I worked with in Abidjan, theft was ruled by relationships of exchange and obligation and social relationships were prioritized over financial gain. I discovered a tenuous moral community regulating the arbitration of justice in cases of social crisis, a process built upon the tracing of social networks and the determination of who really ‘belongs’. Using my own experience of being robbed and its social aftershocks as an example, I trace the processes through which social networks constrain the interpretation of an event, while at the same time redefining their identities (as group and individual) through this interaction. The juncture of stranger and community is the axis through which such negotiations are carried out.

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