article

Peasants in 19th-century Asante

Current anthropology24 (4) • Published In 1983 • Pages: 471-480

By: Arhin, Kwame.

Abstract
In this article Arhin examines if the Asante was a peasant society prior to its incorporation into the world capitalist system in the nineteenth century. He discusses land ownership (owned by matriclans) and the organization of production. According to Arhin, the Asante production unit is ‘conjugal’ and includes husband, wife, adolescent children, pawns, and slaves. ‘The state heavily extracted surpluses from all producers for its upkeep and for the purpose of military and political expansion. (474)’ Arhin also finds that the residents of the capital Kumasi (KUMASIFO) considered themselves more civilized than villagers (KURASEFO) from the surrounding countryside. Based on this evidence, Arhin concludes that a peasantry did exist in Asante before the colonial period. The document includes the comments of eight scholars and Arhin's response.
Subjects
Urban and rural life
Real property
Production and supply
Retail marketing
Lineages
Territorial hierarchy
Cities
culture
Akan
HRAF PubDate
2000
Region
Africa
Sub Region
Western Africa
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Historian
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard ;1999
Field Date
Not Specified
Coverage Date
1600-1900
Coverage Place
Ashanti; Ghana
Notes
Kwame Arhin
Includes bibliographical references (p. 479-480)
LCCN
a 63000576
LCSH
Akan (African people)