‘Making and Doing’ Dogon Microcosmology: Some Ethnographic, Methodological, and Conceptual Background

Dogon granaries, iconic structures of the Bandiagara Escarpment, serve as both defensive ramparts and microcosmological symbols, embodying the Dogon people's adaptation to a landscape of scarcity. These beige, square granaries with conical thatch roofs, built on stone pillars or rocks, blend seamlessly into the steep scree topography while forming an impenetrable fence against invasions. Their strategic placement, facing the Séno Gondo plain, reflects a dual function: practical fortification and symbolic containment within a resource-scarce environment.

(Ed.). (2016). ‘Making and Doing’ Dogon Microcosmology: Some Ethnographic, Methodological, and Conceptual Background. Living in a Landscape of Scarcity, 35–50. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315425214-9