Nuptiality in Sub-Saharan Africa Contemporary Anthropological and Demographic Perspectives

by Bledsoe, Caroline; Pison, Gilles

• ISBN13: 9780198287612
• ISBN10: 0198287615
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1994-10-27
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The dynamics of marriage and partnership-formation in Africa is a perennially lively and interesting subject. This rich and original volume, based on careful field research and data analysis, is a valuable source of information on this diverse and rapidly changing domain. Creating methodological and analytical strategies that effectively link anthropology and demography, the papers argue that anthropological insights are crucial to studies of marriage in Africa and its relationship to demographic events such as fertility, divorce, and child mortality. A primary theme of this volume is the fluidity of marriage and partnership-formation in African societies. The contributors conclude that marriage is a continuous process lasting several years, and recognize that individuals use and manipulate rules, rather than conform to fixed categories, and that this can be very useful for studying the demography of marriage in Africa.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors
List of Figures
List of Tables
Introduction	p. 1
Post-Partum Abstinence, Polygyny, and Age at Marriage: A Macro-Level Analysis of Sub-Saharan Societies	p. 25
Marriage Drinks and Kola Nuts	p. 57
Consequences of Bridewealth Changes on Nuptiality Patterns among the Ibo of Nigeria	p. 74
Migration and Marriage Change: A Case Study of Mlomp, A Joola Village in Southern Senegal	p. 92
Marriage Law in Sub-Saharan Africa	p. 117
Types of Marriage and Marital Stability: The Case of the Moba-Gurma of North Togo	p. 130
The Effects of Education and Social Stratification on Marriage and the Transition to Parenthood in Freetown, Sierra Leone	p. 148
The Historical Roots and Cultural Logic of Outside Marriage in Colonial Lagos	p. 167
The Phenomenon of 'Outside Wives': Some Reflections on its Possible Influence on Fertility	p. 194
Social Change and Marriage Arrangements: New Types of Union in Lome, Togo	p. 215
Lineal Identities and Lateral Networks: The Logic of Polyandrous Motherhood	p. 231
The Impact of Marriage Change on the Risks of Exposure to Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Africa	p. 255
Marital Status and Abortion in Sub-Saharan Africa	p. 274
The Implications of Premarital Childbearing for Infant Mortality: The Case of Cote d'Ivoire	p. 296
Index	p. 313
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