Archambault, J. S. (2021) L’objet de la parenté et la matérialité en rétrospective, Politique Africaine, 1.

Abstract:

It is through a historical examination of the place of the object within Africanist kinship studies that this article proposes to address certain transformations, both theoretical and empirical, that have occurred over the years. The article maintains that Africanist kinship studies took a serious look at the relationships people have with objects long before the “materiality turn” and that this can be explained, at least in part, by the role that objects have long played in the production and negotiation of kinship relations “on the ground” across Africa. “Classical” Africanist studies therefore prefigure, in a way, a future theoretical orientation on materiality. Following a historical overview of this important field of study, I examine two “kinship objects” chosen for their transformative role in the constitution and redefinition of kinship relationships: cellphones and cement. Although the objects themselves have changed, their role in the construction of kinship relationships remains cardinal. Indeed, if African societies have long preferred to convert objects into social relationships, objects are all the more socially valued for it.

Link: https://shs.cairn.info/revue-politique-africaine-2021-1-page-227?lang=fr&tab=texte-integral