Marriage and Memories of the Slave Trade Among the Ejaghams of Cameroon's Cross River Region
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Africa Spectrum |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | article - open access |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00020397241236493 |
| Keywords | Cameroon; gender; marriage; social memory; discrimination; culture |
| Attached files | |
| Description | Using interview data collected from communities in Cameroon's Cross River region, this study examines the experiences of “slave descendants” in their marriages/attempted marriages with “freemen.” Using theories from Mary Douglas and Erving Goffman to analyse their stories, I demonstrate that while “slave descendants” are legally permitted to marry members of “freeman” origin, in practice, some cultural privileges are stripped from those who choose to intermarry, especially impacting those of “freeman” origins. Among “freeman” individuals, beliefs exist that marrying a “slave descendant” can limit their social and cultural potential. For example, they believe such marriages will contaminate the purity of their bloodline. Correspondingly, I discovered that many “slave descendants” aspire to unions with “freemen,” despite discrimination and rejection, to give their children a “half-pure” blood identity. They believe that giving their children this “half-pure” blood identity helps improve their future prospects. |
| Related projects: |