Friendship, Descent and Alliance in Africa Anthropological Perspectives [Hardcover]

Friendship, descent and alliance are basic forms of relatedness that have received unequal attention in social anthropology. Offering new insights into the ways in which friendship is conceptualized and realized in various sub-Saharan African settings, the contributions to this volume depart from the recent tendency to study friendship in isolation from kinship. In drawing attention to the complexity of the interactions between these two kinds of social relationships, the book suggests that analyses of friendship in Western societies would also benefit from research that explores more systematically friendship in conjunction with kinship.

By illustrating the variety of ways in which kinship and friendship interrelate, this collections essays make a convincing case for a joint analysis of kinship and friendship; highlighting issues of power, generation, the plural character of friendship; and political, economic, and social transformations as new directions for future research. I recommend the volume to anyone interested in African studies, anthropology, and the sociology of friendship.? Journal of Royal Anthropological Institute

The volume captures the complex nature of friendship among various ethnic groups in Africa in different social contexts and situations. On the basis of rich ethnography, the volume manages to offer a comparative perspective on an often neglected form of relationship and proves that the study of friendship sheds light on important societal issues& The edited volume contributes not only to the establishment of the study of a neglected field in anthropology but also to one of the core questions in social theory.? African Spectrum

All in all this volume is a good read for those interested in friendship and other social relations beyond mere kinship. Guichards thorough review of the literature is important in itself and combined with the other chapters the book gilãÇ