Originally published in 1975, this book examines property and power relations in a Swahili village on Mafia Island off Tanzania. It focuses on the cognatic descent groups which are important in many areas of village life such as land-holding, marriage, residence, Islamic activities and spirit possession cults. Some anthropologists have contended that groups with multiple membership cannot be viable social units, but this book shows that such a system can actually work. In showing how the cognatic descent groups actually operate, both an ideology of descent group membership and also numerical material about patterns of choice are presented. This involves the construction of both mechanical and statistical models, as well as a decision model to discuss the constraints governing choices.

About the Author

Ann Patricia Caplan In 1977, joined Goldsmiths College, University of London as a lecturer in anthropology; she was later promoted to senior lecturer.[1] Goldsmiths did not have an Anthropology Department until the 1980s.[2] In 1989, she was appointed Professor of Social Anthropology. From 1998 to 2000, she was also Director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies of the School of Advanced Study, University of London. Caplan retired in 2003 and was appointed Emeritus Professor.

Book Information
ISBN 9781138493278
Author Ann Patricia Caplan
Format Hardback
Page Count 184
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 490g