AAS 17 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Stephanie Coontz, Ewu
30 May 2018
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STEPHANIE COONTZ
1. For most of history it was inconceivable that people would choose their mates on the basis of
something as fragile and irrational as love and then focus all their sexual, intimate, and altruistic
desires on the resulting marriage.
2. Traditionally in China, if a sos roati attahet to his ife rialed his parets lais o
the ouples tie ad laor, the parets ight ee sed her ak to her parets.
3. A Taita man normally marries a love wife after he has accumulated a few more practical wives.
4. Modern marital advice books invariably tell husbands and wives to put each other first. But in
many societies, marriage ranks very low i the hierarhy of eaigful relatioships. Peoples
strongest loyalties and emotional connections may be reserved for members of their birth
families.
5. All these examples of differing marital and sexual norms make it difficult to claim there is some
universal model for the success or happiness of a marriage.
EZEBUNWA NWOKOCHA
1. A man who dies without a son lives a worthless life; he is inherited by his brothers, and is soon
forgotten since his branch of the family tree has ended.
2. Given that Igbo society is patriarchal, a man strives to retain his social recognition among
kinsmen by the birth of at least one male child who will retain his father's identity/position after
the latter's death. Men who are privileged to have at least a so are idetified as ahieers
whose names will not be forgotten soon after they are dead. They are naturally fulfilled.
3. In communities where the custom ewu ukwu operates, women achieve recognition and statue
through either male children or attempting ten pregnancies notwithstanding their sexes.
4. Contrary to the views of few respondents that daughters do not support their aged parents
beyond the emotional, the majority position is that daughters more than sons in most cases
provide social security to parents.
5. Most women affirmed their willingness to encourage men to bring in another woman (polygyny)
in their quest for at least a so. Other suggest total suissieess to the as ishes o all
issues even when they impinge negatively on their well-being, so as to make him happy as a
strategy for preserving peace at homes. Some respondents argued that such a situation calls for
the engagement of women in meaningful economic activities. This according to them will not
only ensure that the women can take care of herself but also reduce the time she could spend
together with the man.
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Document Summary
But in many societies, marriage ranks very low i(cid:374) the hierar(cid:272)hy of (cid:373)ea(cid:374)i(cid:374)gful relatio(cid:374)ships. Men who are privileged to have at least a so(cid:374) are ide(cid:374)tified as (cid:858)a(cid:272)hie(cid:448)ers(cid:859) whose names will not be forgotten soon after they are dead. Other suggest total su(cid:271)(cid:373)issi(cid:448)e(cid:374)ess to the (cid:373)a(cid:374)(cid:859)s (cid:449)ishes o(cid:374) all issues even when they impinge negatively on their well-being, so as to make him happy as a strategy for preserving peace at homes. Some respondents argued that such a situation calls for the engagement of women in meaningful economic activities.
