African Systems of Kinship and Marriage

by Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown, Cyril Daryll Forde (Editor)

First published in 1950 and this edition in 1987, this book is one of the most wide-ranging and respected surveys on kinship and marriage in African social life. In his introduction, Radcliff-Brown provides a masterly analysis of the main features of African kinship systems and the theoretical problems arising from the study of them. The contributions range from examinations of kinship systems among the Swazi, the Tswana, the Zulu, the Nuer, and the Ashanti, to double descent among the Yako and dual descent in the Nuba groups of the Sudan. The contributors themselves are still viewed as giants in their field: Evans-Pritchard, Meyer Fortes, Max Gluckman, Hilda Kuper, Naderl, A. I. Richards, Schapera and Monica Wilson. "

Genres: Anthropology, Africa

428 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

Alfred Reginald Radcliffe-Brown, FBA, was an English social anthropologist who helped further develop the theory of structural functionalism.

Reviews

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

A detailed and we'll researched book with a much interesting information and useful insights into this very complex subject.

[Lily Bronski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and rich comparative material and theoretically provocative analyses. I'm only upset it took me so long to read this.