article
Unstable households in a stable Kalahari community in Botswana
American anthropologist • 97 (2) • Published In 1995 • Pages: 297-312
By: Kent, Susan.
Abstract
In this article, Kent examines 'the dynamics behind community organization in small-scale societies undergoing the transition to sedentism' (page 298). A new government drilled borehole at Kutse provided year round drinking water. Kent states that it was both resource availability and the desire for social interaction that attracted people to Kutse. She found community membership fluid with more recently settled residents more inclined to pick up and move on, keeping true to their nomadic lifestyle. However, the community core was not very stable either, as households moved away from the original center over a six-year period, even when it meant longer travel time to haul water. Kent found that social discord was the centrifugal force operating in the camp. In the new dispersed settlement pattern households clustered themselves according to sharing networks. She concludes that an egalitarian ethic remains strong among residents and sharing networks dispel potential conflict as fights usually erupt over lack of sharing.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2005
- Region
- Africa
- Sub Region
- Southern Africa
- Document Type
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Ian Skoggard ; 2003
- Field Date
- 1987-1993
- Coverage Date
- 1987-1993
- Coverage Place
- Kutse, Botswana
- Notes
- Susan Kent
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 311-312)
- LCCN
- 17015424
- LCSH
- San (African people)