Book
Women and marriage in Kpelle society
Stanford University Press • Stanford, Calif. • Published In 1980 • Pages:
By: Bledsoe, Caroline H..
Abstract
This book examines the ways in which economic and political opportunities for men and women influence marriage patterns among the Kpelle. The author describes what she dubs a 'wealth in people' system, which binds people to their status superiors in ties of marriage, clientship, and filial obligation, and shows how the Kpelle manipulate the system to their own personal advantage, trying to sever their ties with superiors while at the same time attempting to keep subordinates bound to them through ties of obligation. Substantial quantitative data on Kpelle marriage and divorce is included, most of which is summarized in table in the appendix, pp. 193-202.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2009
- Region
- Africa
- Sub Region
- Western Africa
- Document Type
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Ethnographer
- Document Rating
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- David Sherwood ; 1984
- Field Date
- 1973-1978
- Coverage Date
- 1900-1980
- Coverage Place
- Liberia
- Notes
- Caroline H. Bledsoe
- A revision of the author's thesis, Stanford University
- Includes bibliographical references (p. [203]-212)and index
- LCCN
- 78066170
- LCSH
- Kpelle (African people)--Marriage customs and rites/Kpelle (African people)--Economic conditions/Kpelle (African people)--Social conditions