Originally published in 1987, this book shows that there is still considerable continuity in the practices and ideas of marriage in Afican against a background of social and economic change.

Introduction: Transformations of African Marriage: Change and Choice Part 1: Alliance and Strategy 1. Changing Themes in the Analysis of African Marriage 2. Sens et permanence du mariage 'arabe' dans la sociéte maure 3. Etude de la transformation du mariage chez les Mkako du Cameroun 4. Mariages zaghawa: les changements liés a l'économie et à l'idéologie Marie-José Tubiana Part 2: Gender Symbolism 5. Social and Symbolic Values of Feminine kn¿ initiation among the Guro of the Ivory Coast 6. Laughter at Marriage: Subversion in Performance 7. Symbolique des rapports entre les femmes et les hommes dans les cultes de possession de type tromba à Madagascar Part 3: Marriage Payments and Polgyny 8. The Consequences for Women of Marriage Payments in a Society with Patrilineal Descent 9. Aspects of Change in Bridewealth Among the Iteso of Kenya 10. On dit que la polygamie est morte: vive la polygamie! 11. Polygamy and the Household Economy in a Fishing Village in Sierra Leone Part 4: Divorce and Elites 12. L'instabilité conugale et ses conséquences dans la société swahili de Lamu (Kenya) 13. 'Outside Wives' and 'Inside Wives' in Nigeria: A Study of Changing Perceptions in Marriage 14. The Old and the New in East African Elite Marriages Part 5: Legal and Social Implications 15. The African or Customary Marriage in Kenyan Law Today 16. The Changing Role of Women and their Contributions to the Domestic Economy in Cameroon 17. Transformations of Southern Tanzanian Marriages 18. Understanding African Marriage: Towards a Convergence of Literature and Sociology