Focusing on the chiefdom of Nso’ in the Bamenda ‘Grassfields’ of British Cameroon, Women of the Grassfields is an extremely significant work of anthropology and gender studies. Phyllis M.Kaberry’s fieldwork was prompted by the conditions in Bamenda in the 1940s when, despite considerable natural resources, there was underpopulation, very high infant mortality, and the status of women was low. By examining the social and economic status of women in the region, Kaberry produced a rich and engaging study of Nso’ politics and kinship as well as the texture of both men’s and women’s lives.First published in 1952, the book is central to the development of anthropology in its concentration on women’s lives and the situating of gender in the larger context of local culture and the particular historic conditions. Kaberry, a true participant observer, also advanced the methodology of ethnography by giving her informants a real voice.Mitzi Goheen’s new preface explores the book’s continued relevance since its first publication and its influence on later research and writing on Cameroon for scholars from a wide range of disciplines.

Women of the Grassfields: A Study of the Economic Position of Women in Bamenda, British Cameroons PDF

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