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Houses and the ritual construction of gendered homes in South Africa
Author(s) -
Waldman Linda
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of the royal anthropological institute
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.62
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1467-9655
pISSN - 1359-0987
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9655.2003.00168.x
Subject(s) - ethnography , ethnic group , dominance (genetics) , colonialism , gender studies , everyday life , identity (music) , ethnology , sociology , history , anthropology , geography , political science , aesthetics , archaeology , art , law , biochemistry , chemistry , gene
This article examines Griqua women's association with houses in historic, economic, and ritual contexts during the twentieth century. Using archival data, I argue that the connection between women and houses in South Africa stems from a complex interaction between their pre‐colonial Khoi origins, Christian missionary activity, and apartheid government housing policy. Ethnographic research demonstrates how, during the second half of the twentieth century, women ritually stressed their association with houses, but were unable to sustain this dominance in everyday life. An examination of ritual, gender, and housing, in relation to material objects and space, provides insights into how a series of rituals performed in Griquatown facilitates both the expression of an unambiguous Griqua identity and daily multi‐ethnic interactions.