Marriage Amongst Equals

An Analysis of the Marriage Ceremony of the Merina of Madagascar

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2571336
AutoresMaurice Bloch (autor de correspondencia)
Año1978
Volumen13
Número1
Páginas21
Fecha de publicación1978-03-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaMan (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0025-1496 • E-ISSN: 2397-2548
EditorialJSTOR (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/2801062
OpenAlexW1506619170
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas10
Referencias citadas4

in the case of systems with direct exchange, it is an asymmetrical transaction in the short term and therefore introduces an element of hierarchy conflicting with equality. Merina marriage ceremonies are examined as an example of the way this contradiction is halndled. This is by a ritual statement of the opposite hierarchy to that implied by the marriage and involves an1 unusual type of oratory. Several general anthropological questions are raised by this, concerning: i) the relationship of ritual statements and secular statemelnts; 2) the accepted views about gifts; and 3) marriage itself. It is suggested that if we look at marriages as transfers of people (not necessarily women) we find less variation between different systems as regards the relative status of affines than has normally been thought

Ancient history · Archaeology · Ceremony · Genealogy · Geography · Sociology · African history and culture analysis · Colonialism, slavery, and trade · Demography · Gender Studies · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · History