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.
Abstract
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.
- HRAF PubDate
- 2016
- Region
- Africa
- Sub Region
- Western Africa
- Document Type
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator Type
- Anthropologist
- Document Rating
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- Analyst
- Teferi Abate Adem
- Field Date
- Not specified
- Coverage Date
- 1625-1960
- Coverage Place
- Benin (Dahomey)
- Notes
- Stanley Diamond
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 215-216)
- LCCN
- 77649837
- LCSH
- Fon (African people)