The Stable African Family: traditional and modern family structures in two African societies

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Book chapter

Title:	The Stable African Family: traditional and modern family structures in two African societies
Author:	Koenig, D.B.
Book title:	Women, education, and modernization of the family in West Africa
Year:	1981
Pages:	88-111
Language:	English
Geographic terms:	Mali Cameroon
Subjects:	Manding family Basa
Abstract:	This paper looks at traditional and contemporary rural family structures of two African societies to compare the effects of modernization and Westernization versus traditional social structures in influencing contemporary rural family patterns. The two societies, the Basa of Cameroon and the Manding of Mali, differ along some significant parameters (including family organization), yet are similar along others. In spite of similar values on the importance of fertility, family cooperation, the family as a source of identification, polygamy and seniority as a means of gaining power, there is a great variation between the two societies in the actual 'on-the-ground' form and extent of both intra and inter-familial cooperation and reciprocity. The family found among today's contemporary rural Basa looks surprisingly 'Western', i.e. relatively small with a low degree of inter-familial reciprocity. This is especially so in comparison with the strong extended families still found among the rural Manding. Yet it is shown that this was a distinction already there in traditional family structures. Neither type of familial organization has changed radically. Bibliogr., notes, ref.