Kinship Values and the Production of ‘Locality’ in Pre-Colonial Cameroon Grassfields (West Cameroon)

Authors

• Emile Tsékénis University of the Aegean, Lesvos

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30676/jfas.127491

Abstract

Igor Kopytoff introduced the concept of the ‘African frontier’ in the mid 80s, providing scholars of Africa with a powerful tool which helped to overcome
scientific and political objections posed by concepts such as ‘tribe’ or ‘ethnic group’, though in subsequent decades the paradigm has been subjected to
critical scrutiny by major scholars of sub-Saharan Africa. The article begins with a brief outline of Kopytoff ’s paradigm, summarizing critical assessment of
the model and arguing for a shift in conceptual terminology while preserving Kopytoff ’s most useful insights. This is followed by discussion of the sense in
which Appadurai’s concepts of ‘locality’, ‘ethnoscape’ and ‘neighbourhood’ fit into the study of the Cameroon Grassfields. Finally, theoretical discussion
is augmented by data collected in the region, illustrating how kinship values worked through official discourse (foundational narratives) in order to produce
‘locality’ in pre-colonial Grassfields. As a result, it is suggested that Appadurai’s concepts, initially forged for ethnographies of and in contemporary settings to
describe modern societies, also apply to pre-colonial Africa.

 

Keywords: pre-colonial Cameroon Grassfields, African frontier, locality, kinship values, foundational narratives, first settlers/late comers