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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Variation and Fluidity in Household Composition in Phoenix, Durban
Author:Singh, AnandISNI
Year:1996
Periodical:Social Dynamics
Volume:22
Issue:1
Period:Winter
Pages:97-116
Language:English
Geographic term:South Africa
Subjects:Indians
family
urban households
Urbanization and Migration
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Cultural Roles
Marital Relations and Nuptiality
Family Life
urbanization
External link:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02533959608458603
Abstract:This paper is an analysis of the structural characteristics of a group of Indian underclass households in Phoenix, near Durban, South Africa. The paper also addresses the oversimplified manner in which the form and history of the Indian joint family in South Africa have been conceptualized. First, it describes the specific historical factors which have affected underclass Indian joint families and how these experiences differ from those of Africans. Then it deals with the nature of domestic structures and examines the joint family as kinship responsibility, in the spirit of fostering, and as economic necessity. In conclusion the paper looks at the theoretical implications of the Phoenix evidence. Six cases are described in this paper, illustrating three themes. Firstly, they point to the vulnerability of households to impoverishment. Secondly, they illustrate the extreme difficulty of acquiring full-time employment and earning adequate wages. Thirdly, they demonstrate variations in household structures which differ significantly from the normative patterns which are conventionally held as a characteristic feature in Indian kinship. Bibliogr., notes, ref.
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