Marie Michael Library

Moving with tradition: the politics of marriage amongst the Toka of Zambia

Geisler, Gisela

The historical analyses of the marriage traditions of the Toka from the turn of the century to the present day indicate that the making and unmaking of marriage practices were mainly due to the power play between rural elders and urban young men, and for a period the colonial administration with its introduction of a formalized court system. In independent Zambia the struggle between young and old over the control of women and the resources that are involved still gives rise to the creation of new "traditions".