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monetization of bridewealth and the abandonment of “kin roads” to marriage in Sana, Mali
Author(s) -
GROSZNGATÉ MARIA
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
american ethnologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.875
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1548-1425
pISSN - 0094-0496
DOI - 10.1525/ae.1988.15.3.02a00060
Subject(s) - abandonment (legal) , sociology , law , political science
Through an analysis of the marriage process in the Bambara communities of Sana Province in Mali, marriage and its associated prestations are shown to constitute a social universe that not only reflects but also helps to reorder social reality. Eschewing the jural approach in favor of one that contextualizes social phenomena such as bridewealth, the article demonstrates that changes in the creation of marriage alliances and the composition of prestations relate to transformations in the very dynamics of the social system.