Book

You only need one bull to cover fifty cows: Zulu women and 'traditional' dress

University of the Witwatersrand, African Studies Institute (213) • Published In 1987 • Pages: 24

By: Klopper, Sandra.

Abstract
This article tries to place the contemporary (i.e., ca. 1980s) dress of married Zulu women into a broad historical framework. It addresses the problem of why, despite radical economic and political transformations, some of the present conventions of female dress have remained virtually unchanged since Shakan times. By looking particularly at the history of the institution of marriage, it attemps to demonstrate not only how the meanings ascribed to, but also the roles of these conventions have been affected by the codification of so-called customary law and the growth of migrant labor. Given the paucity of information on past perceptions and interpretations of female dress it must be pointed out, that many of the observations which appear in this study are necessarily speculative (p. 1).
Subjects
Sociocultural trends
Domesticated animals
Normal garb
Personal grooming
Gender status
Mode of marriage
Nuptials
Family relationships
Cult of the dead
Conception
culture
Zulu
HRAF PubDate
2005
Region
Africa
Sub Region
Southern Africa
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 2004
Field Date
no date
Coverage Date
1800-1980s
Coverage Place
KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa
Notes
by Sandra Klopper
'African Studies Seminar Paper to be presented at Seminar in RW 319 at 4.00 p.m. on Monday 02 June 1987'
Includes bibliographical references (p. 22-24)
LCSH
Zulu (African people)