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African Studies Keyword: Organic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 November 2024

Nick Rahier Open the ORCID record for Nick Rahier [Opens in a new window]  and
Emelien Devos Open the ORCID record for Emelien Devos [Opens in a new window]
Nick Rahier
Affiliation:
KU Leuven Humanities and Social Sciences Group, Anthropology Ghent University Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Languages and Cultures (Africa)
Emelien Devos*
Affiliation:
Ghent University Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Languages and Cultures (Africa)
*
Corresponding author: Emelien Devos; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

The concept of the organic serves as a keyword capturing emerging practices and epistemologies through which Africans navigate increasingly toxic lifeworlds. Noting a growing preoccupation with this term, the authors unpack its meaning based on their ethnographic fieldwork concerning two East African idioms: kienyeji and kiasili. What it means to be(come) organic is tied to older notions such as life flow, tradition, and the natural. Tracing how this concept engages with central themes in Africanist debates, the authors demonstrate that an Africanist theorizing about it foregrounds critical claims about the vitality of bodies and the viability of environments.

Résumé

Résumé

Le mot-clé « organique » désigne les pratiques émergentes et les épistémologies qui permettent aux Africains de naviguer dans des univers de vie de plus en plus toxiques. Constatant une préoccupation croissante pour l’organique, les auteurs analysent ce que l’organique implique sur la base de leur travail ethnographique sur le terrain concernant deux idiomes est-africains qui représentent l’organique : kienyeji et kiasili. Ce que signifie être (devenir) organique est lié à des notions plus anciennes telles que le flux de vie, la tradition et le naturel. En retraçant la manière dont l’organique s’engage dans ces thèmes centraux des débats africanistes, les auteurs démontrent qu’une théorisation africaniste de l’organique met en avant des revendications critiques sur la vitalité des corps et des environnements.

Resumo

Resumo

A palavra “orgânico” é essencial para captar as práticas e as epistemologias emergentes através das quais os africanos se movem em mundividências cada vez mais tóxicas. Tendo observado que se verifica uma preocupação crescente com o orgânico, e tomando por base o seu trabalho etnográfico de campo relativo a duas designações africanas de orgânico – kienyeji e kiasili —, os autores exploram tudo aquilo que esta palavra envolve. O significado de se ser ou de se tornar orgânico prende-se com velhos conceitos, tais como os de fluxo de vida, de tradição e de natural. Reconstituindo o modo como o orgânico se tem interligado com estes temas centrais nos debates africanistas, os autores demonstram que a teorização africanista acerca do orgânico traz para a ribalta as reivindicações em torno da vitalidade dos corpos e dos ambientes.

Keywords

organictoxicityvitalitymore-than-humancapitalocenefood sovereigntyAnthropologiesciences humaines de l’environnementétudes sur l’alimentation
Type
Keyword
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 67 , Issue 3 , September 2024 , pp. 675 - 696
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of African Studies Association

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