Family Matters: Feminist Concepts in African Philosophy of Culture
Prior to European colonialism, lgboland, a region in Nigeria, was a nonpatriarchal, nongendered society governed by separate but interdependent political systems for men and women. In the last one hundred fifty years, the Igbo family has undergone vast structural changes in response to a barrage of cultural forces. Critically rereading social practices and oral and written histories of Igbo women and the society, Nkiru Uwechia Nzegwu demonstrates how colonial laws, edicts, and judicial...
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Prior to European colonialism, lgboland, a region in Nigeria, was a nonpatriarchal, nongendered society governed by separate but interdependent political systems for men and women. In the last one hundred fifty years, the Igbo family has undergone vast structural changes in response to a barrage of cultural forces. Critically rereading social practices and oral and written histories of Igbo women and the society, Nkiru Uwechia Nzegwu demonstrates how colonial laws, edicts, and judicial institutions facilitated the creation of gender inequality in Igbo society. Nzegwu exposes the unlikely convergence of Western feminist and African male judges' assumptions about "traditional" African values where women are subordinate and oppressed. Instead she offers a conception of equality based on historical Igbo family structures and practices that challenges the epistemological and ontological bases of Western feminist inquiry.
Introduction : Igbo family structure and feminist concepts11Family politics : making patriarchy in a patrilineal society232Legalizing patriarchy : sorting through customary laws and practices633Customs and misrepresentations : widows and daughters in inheritance disputes1034The conclave : a dialogic search for equality1575Structures of equality : in mono- and dual-sex systems199Conclusion : toward a balanced society241
