article
Dahomey: the development of a proto-state; an essay in historical reconstruction
Dialectical anthropology • 21 • Published In 1996 • Pages: 121, 123, 127-216
By: Diamond, Stanley.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This book reconstructs the historical processes that led to the growth of the Dahomey Kingdom, a traditional monarchial system located in the Gulf of Guinea. The main argument traces this centralized polity in traditional kin- and clan-based social organizations primarily associated with the Fon-speaking people of Benin. Much of the discussion is devoted to explaining this transition in political organization by focusing on specific themes including the nature of earlier kin-based bureaucracy, property rights, the meaning of personal despotism, the significance of customary laws against murder and suicide, and the function of institutionalized friendship. The analysis reveals much similarity with the evolution of state-level political systems in other parts of Africa.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Cultural identity and pride
- Community structure
- Kin relationships
- Lineages
- Social relationships and groups
- Form and rules of government
- Chief executive
- Administrative agencies
- Priesthood
- Congregations
- Organized ceremonial
- Prayers and sacrifices
- Real property
- Legal norms
- Sanctions
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Fon
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2016
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Africa
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Western Africa
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Anthropologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Teferi Abate Adem ; 2014
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- Not specified
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1625-1960
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Benin (Dahomey)
- NotesAdditional notes
- Stanley Diamond
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 215-216)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 77649837
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Fon (African people)