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Poro Society, Migration, and Political Incorporation on the Freetown Peninsula, Sierra Leone

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Abstract

Ménard investigates the transformations of the Poro secret society in a context of migration and the way these reflect and inform dynamics of social change. The chapter explores the resilience of Poro among Sherbros in Sierra Leone, in a region that has recently attracted a large population of migrants. Relations between Sherbros and migrants are grounded in the use of the host–stranger sociocultural idiom, which regulates social obligations between groups and implies the incorporation of migrants into local communities through Poro initiation. As migrants increasingly refuse initiation, the place of Poro in the political and cultural domains is being renegotiated. The chapter demonstrates that while the Poro society becomes progressively disconnected from local politics, it takes on renewed importance within the religious and cultural spheres.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max Planck Institute of Social Anthropology, Halle (Saale), Germany

    Anaïs Ménard

Authors
  1. Anaïs Ménard
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark

    Christian K. Højbjerg

  2. Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle (Saale), Germany

    Jacqueline Knörr

  3. Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA

    William P. Murphy

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Ménard, A. (2017). Poro Society, Migration, and Political Incorporation on the Freetown Peninsula, Sierra Leone. In: Højbjerg, C., Knörr, J., Murphy, W. (eds) Politics and Policies in Upper Guinea Coast Societies. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95013-3_2

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