By Megan Greenwood
Francis B. Nyamnjoh. Intimate Strangers | 334 pages | 229 x 152 mm | 2010 | Langaa RPCIG, Cameroon | Paperback
I cannot help but reflect on what having a BSocSci in English and Social Anthropology offers me as I approach writing a review of Francis Nyamnjoh's (2010) Intimate Strangers. Both disciplines offer lenses through which to review literature. What sets them apart? The one concerns itself with character and plot development, literary techniques and thematic explorations. The other shows interest in methodological principles and the development and substantiation of arguments - yet not at the exclusion of thematic exploration and literary aesthetics. Which lens is more appropriate for Nyamnjoh's book? Perhaps some of my hesitancy to settle for either is reflective of the way in which Intimate Strangers seems to traverse the boundary lines between fiction and ethnography.
On one hand it reads as a collection of rich, raw ethnographic content awaiting analysis. Yet, elements of it are pure fiction. It appears like a piece of creative non-fiction which offers, among other things, a subtle exploration into the relationship between fiction and ethnography.
Intimate Strangers is a collection of transcribed accounts about maids and madams, presented from the perspective of Immaculate, a research assistant and transcriber for anthropologist Dr. Winterbottom Nanny. Set in Botswana, Nyamnjoh does well in developing the voices of the individuals who agree to participate in Dr. Winterbottom Nanny's research. Presented predominantly through the accounts of interview dialogues, Intimate Strangers explores a multiplicity of dynamics that shape maid and madam interactions. It examines the interplay, trickery and blurring of shifting, elusive and - at times contradictory - nodes of identity formation and power negotiations at work in the interactions and relationships between maids and madams in Botswana. It explores the relationship between perceptions of similarity and foreignness, and of belonging and exclusion that persist, pervade and confuse across socio-economic differences and state-drawn boundaries. Although the transcriptions are effective in reflecting a part of what anthropological research entails, at times this presentation is too dialogue-heavy. The rhythm of the read would have been enriched with the weaving in of more action-centred activities undertaken by Immaculate and perhaps even Dr. Winterbottom Nanny.
Nevertheless, Nyamnjoh's book is a process of showing not telling. It offers layered textures of the complexities of relationships individuals encounter in their daily living spaces. It explores the dramas that accompany the mundane, such as hiring a maid, negotiating contracts and stipulating boundaries. Made visible during this exploration is Nyamnjoh's playful enjoyment of the relationship between words and objects. Riddled with allegory, the reader encounters characters named “Wobble”, “Dr. Beauty” and a university with the acronym “DUST” which invite humorous reflection. Unfortunately, although Immaculate's transcriptions undoubtedly would reflect her name, the proofreading of the text is less than immaculate; unnecessary errors intrude.
The title Intimate Strangers alludes to a core type of relationship that can be characteristic of maids and madams. In addition, the book considers other forms of intimate strangers- strange in their intimacy. Consider the relationship Dr. Winterbottom Nanny develops with those who participate in her research: individuals share parts of the intimate details of their daily lives with Dr. Winterbottom Nanny, a stranger. Furthermore, a strange intimacy is established as we, the readers, become privy to the intimate details of strangers' lives while we remain strangers to them. In addition, despite the intimacy formed with Immaculate as the narrator and conduit through which we as readers have access to the intimate details of research participants, much of Immaculate's life remains strangely unknown for the majority of the book. Dr. Winterbottom Nanny, who seeks out the intimate details of others' lives, remains even more of a stranger to both the research participants and to us, the readers. Through this exploration, Nyamnjoh provides a critique of some of the processes and consequences of anthropological research that relies on relationships established on varied degrees of intimacy and strangeness. Although Nyamnjoh focuses on relationships established through anthropological research, the unevenness of the interplay between intimacy and strangeness protrudes beyond the confines of research-related relationships.
Furthermore, Nyamnjoh defamiliarises that which is familiar to a trained anthropological audience to enables a critique of some of the anthropological practices of Dr. Winterbottom Nanny. I found myself noting with some criticism the way in which Dr. Winterbottom Nanny used leading questions in some interviews and recognised how odd it can be for someone to pull out a voice recorder when conversation seems “ripe.” I noted the limits of Dr. Winterbottom Nanny's study, wishing it had taken into account the views of husbands and maids of the households of the research participants. Furthermore, although Immaculate indicates whether she was present in interviews, little information is provided as to the way in which her presence may have shaped the interviews she attended. Further exploration of how some of the participants may have responded to or interacted with her as a foreigner from Mimboland and of a different socio-economic standing to Dr. Winterbottom Nanny would have enriched the themes explored in the text.
I recall my amusement soon after beginning to read Nyamnjoh's book. I found myself imagining how the famed South African cartoon duo that grace the Mail and Guardian in Stephen Francis and Rico Schacherl Madame & Eve would respond. I envision a quiet moment in the Anderson household: Gwen and Mother Anderson have left to do some shopping. Eve is alone at home. She plonks herself on Mother Anderson's armchair. Reveling in the moment, she reaches for the book that lies next to the gin and tonic on the nearby sidetable. The title reads Intimate Strangers. Eve flips through it, then begins to read it a bit more closely.
“Eish...secrets are out!” Eve exclaims.
Bridging fiction and fact, perhaps the subtitle should read: a pocketbook guide into what madams know (and don't know).
Intimate Strangers is a collection of transcribed accounts about maids and madams, presented from the perspective of Immaculate, a research assistant and transcriber for anthropologist Dr. Winterbottom Nanny. Set in Botswana, Nyamnjoh does well in developing the voices of the individuals who agree to participate in Dr. Winterbottom Nanny's research. Presented predominantly through the accounts of interview dialogues, Intimate Strangers explores a multiplicity of dynamics that shape maid and madam interactions. It examines the interplay, trickery and blurring of shifting, elusive and - at times contradictory - nodes of identity formation and power negotiations at work in the interactions and relationships between maids and madams in Botswana. It explores the relationship between perceptions of similarity and foreignness, and of belonging and exclusion that persist, pervade and confuse across socio-economic differences and state-drawn boundaries. Although the transcriptions are effective in reflecting a part of what anthropological research entails, at times this presentation is too dialogue-heavy. The rhythm of the read would have been enriched with the weaving in of more action-centred activities undertaken by Immaculate and perhaps even Dr. Winterbottom Nanny.
Nevertheless, Nyamnjoh's book is a process of showing not telling. It offers layered textures of the complexities of relationships individuals encounter in their daily living spaces. It explores the dramas that accompany the mundane, such as hiring a maid, negotiating contracts and stipulating boundaries. Made visible during this exploration is Nyamnjoh's playful enjoyment of the relationship between words and objects. Riddled with allegory, the reader encounters characters named “Wobble”, “Dr. Beauty” and a university with the acronym “DUST” which invite humorous reflection. Unfortunately, although Immaculate's transcriptions undoubtedly would reflect her name, the proofreading of the text is less than immaculate; unnecessary errors intrude.
The title Intimate Strangers alludes to a core type of relationship that can be characteristic of maids and madams. In addition, the book considers other forms of intimate strangers- strange in their intimacy. Consider the relationship Dr. Winterbottom Nanny develops with those who participate in her research: individuals share parts of the intimate details of their daily lives with Dr. Winterbottom Nanny, a stranger. Furthermore, a strange intimacy is established as we, the readers, become privy to the intimate details of strangers' lives while we remain strangers to them. In addition, despite the intimacy formed with Immaculate as the narrator and conduit through which we as readers have access to the intimate details of research participants, much of Immaculate's life remains strangely unknown for the majority of the book. Dr. Winterbottom Nanny, who seeks out the intimate details of others' lives, remains even more of a stranger to both the research participants and to us, the readers. Through this exploration, Nyamnjoh provides a critique of some of the processes and consequences of anthropological research that relies on relationships established on varied degrees of intimacy and strangeness. Although Nyamnjoh focuses on relationships established through anthropological research, the unevenness of the interplay between intimacy and strangeness protrudes beyond the confines of research-related relationships.
Furthermore, Nyamnjoh defamiliarises that which is familiar to a trained anthropological audience to enables a critique of some of the anthropological practices of Dr. Winterbottom Nanny. I found myself noting with some criticism the way in which Dr. Winterbottom Nanny used leading questions in some interviews and recognised how odd it can be for someone to pull out a voice recorder when conversation seems “ripe.” I noted the limits of Dr. Winterbottom Nanny's study, wishing it had taken into account the views of husbands and maids of the households of the research participants. Furthermore, although Immaculate indicates whether she was present in interviews, little information is provided as to the way in which her presence may have shaped the interviews she attended. Further exploration of how some of the participants may have responded to or interacted with her as a foreigner from Mimboland and of a different socio-economic standing to Dr. Winterbottom Nanny would have enriched the themes explored in the text.
I recall my amusement soon after beginning to read Nyamnjoh's book. I found myself imagining how the famed South African cartoon duo that grace the Mail and Guardian in Stephen Francis and Rico Schacherl Madame & Eve would respond. I envision a quiet moment in the Anderson household: Gwen and Mother Anderson have left to do some shopping. Eve is alone at home. She plonks herself on Mother Anderson's armchair. Reveling in the moment, she reaches for the book that lies next to the gin and tonic on the nearby sidetable. The title reads Intimate Strangers. Eve flips through it, then begins to read it a bit more closely.
“Eish...secrets are out!” Eve exclaims.
Bridging fiction and fact, perhaps the subtitle should read: a pocketbook guide into what madams know (and don't know).
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