Symbols and Magic in the Arts of Kabyle Women

Download or read book Symbols and Magic in the Arts of Kabyle Women written by Makilam and published by Peter Lang. This book was released on 2007 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Makilam's research on the history of women and Berber culture, one of North Africa's most ancient civilizations, demonstrates that the Kabyle women's magic practices, graphic symbols, and rites of passage permit a new interpretation of their cultural identity from those that have traditionally been attributed to them by Western observers. This completely new vision of the symbolic grammar of the «decorations, » notably expressed in pottery, weaving, tattoos, and wall-paintings, leads us to reconsider the meaning of the Kabyle arts and contributes to our knowledge of Maghreb cultures and the role of women in «traditional» societies.