Einleitung zum Themenschwerpunkt 'Familienwandel in Afrika'

In: Africa Spectrum, Band 42, Heft 2, S. 151-166

Abstract

In Africa, kinship & family relationships are indispensable & hardly anyone is able to withdraw from the power of these ties: strong family ties are necessary in order to survive, grow up, marry & have children, & remain a part of the community even beyond death. However, such close ties bring conflicts with them even for Africans living in cities or abroad. This issue presents research showing the effects on various African societies & close connection with other social changes such as increasing transnational migration, dissemination of western concepts of love & marriage, change in economic structures, & legal conditions. Family life in Africa changes constantly, norms change & new family forms develop. Alongside, however, tendencies to preserve & revitalize local institutions & values can be observed. The contributions to this issue show that changes in African family relationships are linked in various ways to the modernization & globalization processes. References. E. Sanchez