The patriarchal family in dispute: Husbands, parents and citizens in Côte d'Ivoire (1951-1968)
The Maison Suger is pleased to host a presentation of the book La famille patriarcale en dispute : Époux, parents et citoyens en Côte d'Ivoire (1951-1968) by Louise Barré, published in January 2025 by OpenEdition Books, with Fabio Viti (AMU, IMAf, Société des africanistes).
How did patriarchal conjugality become a family model in post-independence Côte d'Ivoire? How has this model led to the differentiated inclusion of men and women in citizenship? This book first illustrates the diversity of Ivorian and French actors who debated family norms before their formalization in a Civil Code in 1964. Colonial administrators, Ivorian deputies and trade unionists, Christian activists and social scientists all supported the authority of fathers over nuclear entities, on the grounds that this family form was more favorable to economic development. The originality of this book then lies in its examination of the application of family legislation in government departments. The promotion of romantic love and new gender relations - masculinity as provider and femininity as servant - influenced the careers open to men and women, the benefits they could claim from social services, and the ways in which they were integrated into the state.
Louise Barré is a doctor of history and recently published La famille patriarcale en dispute. Époux, parents et citoyens en Côte d'Ivoire 1951-1968, which explores how the monogamous couple became a norm at the time of Ivorian independence. catalogue-editions.ens-lyon.fr She is currently interested in the history of urban consumption in colonial and post-colonial times. Her aim is to develop a social and cultural approach to economic practices, combining a history of trading networks, a history of everyday life and representations, and the institutions that regulate exchanges (such as states, companies and trade unions...).
Fabio Viti is an anthropologist, professor at Aix-Marseille Université (AMU), researcher at IMAF-Aix, director of the Anthropology Department (2023-2025), member of the “Espaces, Cultures, Sociétés” doctoral school (AMU). His research topics include the political and historical anthropology of the Baoulé, slavery, personal dependency relationships, work and learning, war and violence, colonization etc. His main publications:
- Il potere debole. Antropologia politica dell'Aitu nvle (Baule, Costa d'Avorio), Milano, F. Angeli,1998, 416 p.
- Schiavi, servi e dipendenti. Antropologia delle forme di dipendenza personale in Africa, Milano, Raffaello Cortina, 2007, XVIII-298 p.
- Travail et apprentissage en Afrique de l'Ouest (Sénégal, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo), Paris, Karthala, 2013, 312 p.
- La Guerre au Baoulé. Une ethnographie historique du fait guerrier, Paris, Éditions de la MSH, 2024, 496 p. (→ Watch his interview on Canal-U)
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