1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910838318303321

Autore

Mkhize Zamambo V

Titolo

Polygyny and Gender : The Gendered Narratives of Adults Raised in Polygynous Families

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Pietermaritzburg, South Africa : , : University of Kwazulu-Natal Press, , 2021

©2021

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (230 pages) : illustrations, maps

Disciplina

306.8423089639860684

Soggetti

Customary law - KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)

Marriage (Customary law) - KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)

Marriage customs and rites - KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)

Polygyny - KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa)

Polygyny - Religious aspects

Zulu (African people)

South Africa KwaZulu-Natal

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front Cover -- Title Page -- Half Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Dedication -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- 1. Theoretical Perspectives on Polygyny and Gender -- 2. Gender Role Socialisation and Gender Identity -- 3. Naming and the Construction of Gender Identity -- 4. Family Relations and Their Impact on Gender Identity -- 5. Negotiating Customary Law and Constitutional Rights -- 6. Economic Resources and Power Relations within the Family -- 7. The Impact of Religion on the Polygynous Family and Identity Formation -- 8. Emotional Relations and the Construction of Gendered Identity -- Conclusion -- Select Bibliography -- Index -- Back Cover.

Sommario/riassunto

African perspectives on concepts such as gender, feminism and the family are vastly different from their Western counterparts. Similarly, mechanisms of socialisation such as religion, capitalism and the law require context-specific application to the notion of polygyny. This book interrogates the construction of gender identity in adults raised in



Zulu polygynous families in the Hammarsdale area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It highlights the complexities of gender identities as participants negotiate between modern, constitutional, individual freedoms and patriarchal, cultural, communal customs and traditions. The themes also point to the contestation between individuality and collectivism in the construction of gender identity within polygynous families in Zulu culture. The South African Constitution guarantees gender equality and individual rights and freedoms for its citizens, yet customary law practices, such as polygyny, appear to contravene these principles. The participants reveal that although women and men experience different influences, they cite similar prevalent factors that have a bearing on their gender identity construction, namely, gender role socialisation, naming practices and the principle of seniority