Henry Kam Kah Livres

Polygamy is a very complex phenomenon with a long tradition in Africa, but also in Europe. The anthology will contribute to the objectification of the discussion by portraying the variety of polygamous lifestyles showing the interconnections of family structure, social and economic conditions, cultural representations (especially in fictive writing and oral tradition), spiritual meaning and religious legitimation of this way of life between traditional belief, Christianity and Islam. Case studies from different countries in Africa south of the Sahara will be added by historic examples since antiquity in Europe up to the discussion in present times.

The sacred forest is a concrete place with a rich symbolic meaning. For the Laimbwe ethnic group of the northwest region of Cameroon, it is the center of social life, around which the people organize their matrilineal system. This book describes the origin, development, and changes in matriliny as a gender construction from an insider point of view. Through material and interviews with 150 persons, the book shows how the system overcame all the various challenges since the 18th century, especially the rejection of matriliny by the colonial powers and Christian missionaries. It calls into question different prejudices of a Eurocentric gender research, which believes in the dominance of patriarchal structures and the decline of other gender systems under the impact of global influence and pressure. (Series: Narrating (Hi)stories. Culture and History in Africa / Kultur und Geschichte in Afrika - Vol. 2) [Subject: Social History, African Studies, Gender Studies, Cultural Studies, Ethnic Studies, Religious Studies]