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From Water to Wine: Becoming Middle Class in Angola
From Water to Wine explores how Angola has changed since the end of its civil war in 2002. Its focus is on the middle class—defined as those with a house, a car, and an education—and their consumption, aspirations, and hopes for their families. It takes as its starting point "what is working in Angola?" rather than "what is going wrong?" and makes a deliberate, political choice to give attention to beauty and happiness in everyday life in a country that has had an unusually troubled history.
Each chapter focuses on one of the five senses, with the introduction and conclusion provoking reflection on proprioception (or kinesthesia) and curiosity. Various media are employed—poetry, recipes, photos, comics, and other textual experiments—to engage readers and their senses. Written for a broad audience, this text is an excellent addition to the study of Africa, the lusophone world, international development, sensory ethnography, and ethnographic writing.
Each chapter focuses on one of the five senses, with the introduction and conclusion provoking reflection on proprioception (or kinesthesia) and curiosity. Various media are employed—poetry, recipes, photos, comics, and other textual experiments—to engage readers and their senses. Written for a broad audience, this text is an excellent addition to the study of Africa, the lusophone world, international development, sensory ethnography, and ethnographic writing.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published February 4, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 16, 2023
Honestly, I've read better ethnographies. The five-sense structure was not convincing and many of the chapters diverged from their original focuses which threw me for the loop as the original chapter on smell was so on point. I think the ethnography had good intentions behind the structuring, but overall it wasn't easy to follow with the a-chronology and niche experiences that diverged from the chapter structure. It was interesting and now I know more about Angola than I ever thought I would, but I am tired.
December 5, 2024
4.5 stars. Read for my Introduction to Anthropology class.
Very engaging and interesting, with valuable insights from Auerbach and her interlocutors that drew me into the reality of the Angolan middle class. The way she structured her research based on the five senses was incredibly interesting, and I especially loved the little comics, poems, and photos she included. I wrote 2 essays on this book that I'm pretty proud of, so I've learned a lot from it!
Very engaging and interesting, with valuable insights from Auerbach and her interlocutors that drew me into the reality of the Angolan middle class. The way she structured her research based on the five senses was incredibly interesting, and I especially loved the little comics, poems, and photos she included. I wrote 2 essays on this book that I'm pretty proud of, so I've learned a lot from it!
August 28, 2021
I absolutely loved this, probably one of the best books that have been assigned for me to read.
March 25, 2025
Well Im not a fan of non-fiction but this managed to be decently enjoyable to me. Kudos to the author.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews