Description
Civilized Women is concerned with the intersection of cultural constructions of gender and other systems of ranking among the Glebo people of Cape Palmas, in southeastern Liberia. Like other Liberians, the Glebo people make a social distinction between western-educated wage-earners, or "civilized people," and traditional subsistence agriculturists, or "natives." The civilized-native dichotomy splits the Glebo community and Liberian society in general, in contrast to other West African nations, where ethnicity or regionalism provides important markers of personal identity.Through a close analysis of the local history of male labor migration, contact with African-American settlers, and the influence of Protestant Episcopal missionaries, Mary H. Moran shows how the Glebo have incorporated the civilized/native dichotomy into other systems of prestige allocation based on gender and age, capturing the poignant nature of "civilized" and traditional roles for women.
Author: Mary Moran
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Published: 01/09/1990
Pages: 210
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.69lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.48d
ISBN13: 9780801495540
ISBN10: 0801495547
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Anthropology | Cultural & Social
- History | Africa | West
- Social Science | Women's Studies
About the Author
Mary H. Moran is Professor of Anthropology and Africana & Latin American Studies at Colgate University.