CEU eTD Collection (2019); Mawuli, Cynthia Adjovi: Transmission and Embodiment of Heritage: An Analysis of Adinkra Symbology on Traditional Clothing in Ghana

CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2019
Author Mawuli, Cynthia Adjovi
Title Transmission and Embodiment of Heritage: An Analysis of Adinkra Symbology on Traditional Clothing in Ghana
Summary Adinkra are symbols that convey philosophies of the Akan people (of the Asante ethnic group) of Ghana through stylized pictures/symbols. A group of symbols, or a symbol one wore on a local/indigenously knit material was used to reflect a person’s mood, ethnic group, status and even political affiliation and influence in Akan society in the past. Adinkra legitimizes itself by means of external communication, an aspect which traces how people think about the world they live in. Therefore, a shift in the paradigmatic use of the symbols over the years serves as a case study to understand the evolution of symbols and the context in which these tangible and intangible heritage relevant symbols can be collected for analysis. Hence the research, through comparative analysis, focuses on the use of Adinkra within contemporary Ghana (specifically within Ntonso- Kumasi and its environs) and how their “detachment” from their traditional social and cultural contexts affect philosophical knowledge production/reproduction and transmission.
Supervisor Professor Jaritz, Gerhard
Department Medieval Studies MA
Full texthttps://www.etd.ceu.edu/2019/mawuli_cynthia.pdf

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