1st Edition
Transformations of African Marriage
Originally published in 1987, this book shows that there is still considerable continuity in the practices and ideas of marriage in Afican against a background of social and economic change. This book discusses the diverse marriage forms in Africa and explores the different systems some of which can be understood in terms of Levi-Strauss's distinciton between complex and semi-complex structures, while others throw up questions of filiation, child custoidanship and rights secured through bridewealth transactions.
Introduction: Transformations of African Marriage: Change and Choice David Parkin and David Nyamwaya Part 1: Alliance and Strategy 1. Changing Themes in the Analysis of African Marriage Philip Burnham 2. Sens et permanence du mariage 'arabe' dans la sociéte maure Pierre Bonte 3. Etude de la transformation du mariage chez les Mkako du Cameroun Elisabeth Cope-Rougier 4. Mariages zaghawa: les changements liés a l'économie et à l'idéologie Marie-José Tubiana Part 2: Gender Symbolism 5. Social and Symbolic Values of Feminine knɛ initiation among the Guro of the Ivory Coast Ariane Deluz 6. Laughter at Marriage: Subversion in Performance Ivan Karp 7. Symbolique des rapports entre les femmes et les hommes dans les cultes de possession de type tromba à Madagascar Suzy-Andrée Ramamonjisoa Part 3: Marriage Payments and Polgyny 8. The Consequences for Women of Marriage Payments in a Society with Patrilineal Descent Harriet Ngubane 9. Aspects of Change in Bridewealth Among the Iteso of Kenya Nobuhiro Nagashima 10. On dit que la polygamie est morte: vive la polygamie! Rémie Clignet 11. Polygamy and the Household Economy in a Fishing Village in Sierra Leone Filomina Chioma Steady Part 4: Divorce and Elites 12. L'instabilité conugale et ses conséquences dans la société swahili de Lamu (Kenya) Françoise Le Guennec-Coppens 13. 'Outside Wives' and 'Inside Wives' in Nigeria: A Study of Changing Perceptions in Marriage Wambui Wa Karanja 14. The Old and the New in East African Elite Marriages Christine Obbo Part 5: Legal and Social Implications 15. The African or Customary Marriage in Kenyan Law Today Gibson Kaman Kuria 16. The Changing Role of Women and their Contributions to the Domestic Economy in Cameroon Paul N. Nkwi 17. Transformations of Southern Tanzanian Marriages Rupert R. Moser 18. Understanding African Marriage: Towards a Convergence of Literature and Sociology Isidore Okpewho
Biography
David Parkin, David Nyamwaya
