essay

Abafazi Bathonga Bafihlakala: ethnicity and gender in a KwaZulu border community

Tradition and transition in Southern Africa : festschrift for Philip and Iona MayerJohannesburg, South AfricaPublished In 1991 • Pages: 243-271

By: Webster, David.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This article is concerned with one ethnographic puzzle: why is it that among the Thonga of Southern Africa a vast majority of men actively spurn their ethnic heritage while a large number of their womenfolk actively embrace it. It argues that the answer to this question should be explored by looking at a complex mix of historical forces relating to political struggles, colonialism, the creation of an ethnic identity, the interplay of cultural dynamics and the politics of the personal, especially gender relations, within the communities themselves.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Cultural identity and pride
Cultural participation
Inter-ethnic relations
Acculturation and culture contact
External relations
Sociocultural trends
Labor supply and employment
Gender status
Inter-community relations
Family relationships
Division of labor by gender
Social personality
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Tsonga
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2010
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Africa
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Southern Africa
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
essay
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.
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; 2010
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1986-1989
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1895-1989
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
KwaZulu, South Africa
NotesAdditional notes
David Webster
Includes bibliographical references (p. 269-271)
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Tsonga (African peoples)