AAS 17 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Female Genital Mutilation, Settler Colonialism, Bride Price
30 May 2018
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Department
Course
Professor
PATRIARCHY
• A pattern of social organization whereby those who exercise authority and have power at most
levels are men.
MARRIAGE
• An arrangement whereby society extends public recognition to a private sexual relationship and
whereby society agrees to step in where necessary to protect legal rights of both partners, and
especially of the wife and her children.
FUNCTIONS OF MARRIAGE
• Regulating sexual access
• Ensuring sexual access
• Assigning paternity to children
• Ensuring protection of pregnant women and managing childcare
• Establishing binding ties
• Creating a foundation for wealth
POLYGAMY
• A marriage involving multiple spouses.
POLYGYNY
• One man, several wives.
POLYANDRY
• One woman, several husbands.
MARRIAGE IN AGRARIAN AFRICAN SOCIETIES
• Too much land, not enough people. More people you had, the wealthier you became.
• More children you had means more people working on your land, which produces more wealth.
• More children = more wealth
• Therefore, polygyny as an ideal form of marriage.
MARRIAGE IN INDO-EUROPEAN SOCIETIES
• Not enough land, too many people. The more land you had, the wealthier you became.
• Plenty of people available to work your land, so did not need lots of children.
• More children = less wealth
• Therefore, monogamy as an ideal form of marriage.
DOWRY
• Goes from family of bride to the family of groom.
• Daughters seen as a burden
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
BRIDEWEALTH
• Goes from family of groom to the family of the bride.
• Daughters seen as a source of wealth.
WOMAN-TO-WOMAN MARRIAGE
• Having a wife, and preferably more than one wife, was the key to wealth.
• A marriage has occurred if the bridewealth has been paid.
• A husband is anybody or anything who pays the bridewealth. Definition of husband is not tied to
a biological male.
• A wife is the person for whom bridewealth has been paid. Only pay the bridewealth for a female
because only females give birth.
• Female-husbands are:
o Married women who wanted to become wealthy.
o Married women with no children.
o Widows with no children.
PATRILINEAL
• After marriage, wife leaves her blood relatives and goes to live w/ husband and his blood
relatives (bridewealth paid).
• Children belong to husband and his family (bridewealth paid).
MATRILINEAL
• After marriage, wife continues to live with her blood relatives (no bridewealth paid).
• Children belong to wife and her family (no bridewealth paid).
BRIDEWELATH AND FEMALE AUTHORITY
• Bridewealth was very expensive so young men would have to depend on his family for
bridewealth. The bridewealth helps a family to exercise control over young men. Usually the
first wife was someone the family chose for the men.
• A young man would have to wait until his sister or other female relative was married so the
family could obtain a bridewealth. The family could use that bridewealth to get the young man
married. The young man was indebted to his sister/female relative because his household would
not have existed if she had not gotten married. The sister/female relative will forever exercise
authority over him and his household.
HYPYRGYNY
• Marrying/dating up.
POLYGYNY THRESHOLD
• Willingness to be the secondary partner of a more affluent male rather than the sole or primary
partner of a less affluent male.
LEGAL POLYGYNY
• Husband and wives have rights and obligations recognized under local law.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Patriarchy: a pattern of social organization whereby those who exercise authority and have power at most levels are men. Marriage: an arrangement whereby society extends public recognition to a private sexual relationship and whereby society agrees to step in where necessary to protect legal rights of both partners, and especially of the wife and her children. Functions of marriage: regulating sexual access, ensuring sexual access, assigning paternity to children, ensuring protection of pregnant women and managing childcare, establishing binding ties, creating a foundation for wealth. Marriage in agrarian african societies: too much land, not enough people. More people you had, the wealthier you became: more children you had means more people working on your land, which produces more wealth, more children = more wealth, therefore, polygyny as an ideal form of marriage. Marriage in indo-european societies: not enough land, too many people.
