Social Structure is where the Hearth is: a 'Woman's Place' in Beti Society.

Abstract

In the present paper, an analysis of the cooking hearth -- 'a woman's place' -- in Beti society, provides the basis for reconsidering certain aspects of patrilineal organization. Its aims are two-fold: first, to demonstrate a continuity between female domestic roles and overall social structure, areas of concern commonly perceived as pertaining to separate domains, and second, to suggest the structural relevance of co-affinal ties, relationships largely neglected by current kinship theory.