AFRICAN LOCAL KNOWLEDGE & LIVESTOCK HEALTH, diseases and treatment in South Africa

304 pp., maps, illus., paperback, Johannesburg, 2013

Published in the UK and USA in 2013.

For their comparative study of African veterinary knowledge William Beinart and Karen Brown interviewed individual livestock owners in a number of South African regions: Mbotyi, QwaQwa, North West Province, the Eastern Cape and Mpondoland. They also consider the history of livestock diseases, and make recommendations for policy and practice.

"A path-breaking view of South African animal disease and remedies where African owners are concerned. Focusing on local veterinary knowledge and therapeutics by African owners in such depth through 200 interviews in five areas opens up an original field of knowledge and practice." Anne Digby, Oxford Brookes University

"By incorporating cultural, scientific, national and political perspectives, the authors provide background to the implementation of relevant policies and reveal the stark resource and knowledge divide between rural and commercial sectors." Arthur Spickett, Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Pretoria

William Beinart is Rhodes Professor of Race Relations at the African Studies Centre, University of Oxford.
Karen Brown is an ESRC Research Fellow at the Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine, University of Oxford