- Sf

RESEARCH  IN  PROGRESS

89

RESEARCH  IN  PROGRESS

A  PltOT  STUDY"  OF  MODERN  MARRIAGE  IN  WEST  AFRICA

A  research  project  is at  the  moment 

in progress,  the object  of  which

is to study  intensively  the  social  framework  of modem marriage  in Accra. 
It
is part  of a  cross-cultural  study  of elite  marriage  and  family  life  being  under-
taken  in  collaboration  with  the  Department  of  Social  Anthropology  Edinburgh
University.  Other  probable  places  for  field work will  be  Sierra  Leone and
Scotland.  The  core  of  the  field work will  be concerned with  the  collection
of  date  relating  to spouses'  conjugal  roles and their social  networks,  one
main aim being  to test  Bott's hypotheses  in different  cultural  environments,
another  being  to  pave  the  way  methodologically  for a  wider  survey  of modem
African  marriage.

The  investigation  is based upon the study of a  small number  of profes-

sional  families and  information  is being amassed by  means of  intensive  inter-
viewing,  collection  of  life  histories and genealogies^questionnaires  and  parti-
cipant  observation.  Data  is being  collected  during  the  period  September  1967
to  July  1968 and will  include  five  broad categories  of  information,  home and
household organisation,  economic  practices,  social  activities,  care and  training
of  children  and  family  relationships.

As well  as trying  to assess the  degree  of segregation  of  conjugal  roles

in different  spheres of marital  interaction  and attempting  to describe  the
structure  and content  of  the  spouses' significant  social  networks/some  attempt
will  also be  made  to assess'the  degree  to which  the  nuclear  family  is  individuated
in  terms of economic,  jura I,  residential  or other  criteria.

This  initial  investigation  is somewhat  limited  in  scope  in  order  that
one  of  its primary  objectives,  the  standardization  of  research  procedures  for
the wider  cross-cultural  survey,  may  be achieved.

It  is hopedfthat  theoretical  generalizations  and hypotheses  put  for-

ward on  the  basis of  the  data  gained  from the  intensive  study of  this non-
random sample of  homogeneous familiesmay  be  tested by  the  date  collected

means of questionnaires  administered  to a  comparatively  large  population.

RESEARCH  IN  PROGRESS

90-

One  interesting  feature  of  the  Accra  project  is that  the  couples who

assist with  the  intensive  family  study are  Akan  immigrants  into Accra  from
traditionally  matrilineal  kinship areas,  so it  is envisaged  that  this  research
may  throw  some  interesting  light  upon  changes taking  place  in  the  modern
family  life  and marital  practices of traditionally  matrilineal  peoples.

(Mrs)  C.  Oppong.

• - * ••