Kinship in African History

This chapter discusses the importance of kinship in African history. It argues that kinship and family provided social contexts in which men and women negotiated status and obtained support and assistance from each other. It also argues that the violation of the moral norms of kinship is inseparable from the experience of living within family. It shows that, in the African past, kinship provided a means of creating new social and political institutions. From the beginning of the colonial period it also became a means of dealing with unfamiliar institutions, including courts, chattel slavery, and Christian missions. The chapter considers recent changes in anthropological perspectives on kinship, and describes a number of works by historians who have contributed important insights on kinship in African history.