“Whether They Promised Each Other Some Thing Is Difficult to Work Out”: The Complicated History of Marriage in Uganda

Rhiannon Stephens

doi:10.1017/asr.2016.6

“Whether They Promised Each Other Some Thing Is Difficult to Work Out”: The Complicated History of Marriage in Uganda

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 April 2016

Rhiannon Stephens

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Abstract:

Marriage cases discussed by Catholic missionaries in Uganda at the turn of the twentieth century showcase considerable diversity in relationships between women and men. While these cases reflect the turbulence of the late nineteenth century, the history of marriage and divorce in the region since around 700 CE demonstrates that diversity in marital arrangements was a long-standing phenomenon. This article sets out the history of aspects of marriage and divorce in Buganda, Bugwere, Busoga, and Bushana, and their ancestral communities to show how women and men conceptualized their domestic relationships and adapted them as they dealt with political and social change.

Résumé:

Les cas problématiques de mariage discuter par les missionnaires catholiques en Ouganda à la fin du 19e et au début du 20e siècle illustrent la grande diversité dans les relations matrimoniales entre les femmes et les hommes de l’époque. Alors que ces cas reflètent la turbulence de la fin du 19e siècle, l’histoire du mariage et du divorce dans la région depuis le 8e siècle démontre que cette diversité était anciennement bien établie. Les aspects du mariage et du divorce en Buganda, Bugwere, Busoga, et Bushana, et leurs communautés ancestrales, présentés dans cet article, démontrent de quelle façon les femmes et les hommes ont conceptualisé leurs rapports domestiques et les adapter sur un fond de changements politiques et sociaux.

Keywords

Marriage divorce precolonial Uganda Bugwere Busoga Buganda

Type: ASR FORUM ON WOMEN AND GENDER IN AFRICA: PART 2
Information: African Studies Review , Volume 59 , Issue 1 , April 2016 , pp. 127 - 153

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/asr.2016.6 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © African Studies Association 2016

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