Historical Perspectives on Marriage, Migration, and Family Networks in the Region of Kayes, Mali

Abstract

In this article, the author argues that migration scholars can gain a wider understanding of historical African migration through the examination of marriage migration in particular. These specific migrations, which are especially visible in civil legal records of the Kayes region (Mali) from 1905 to 1925, shed light on women’s mobility (social and geographical) in and out of marriage. These documents also show the gradual restriction of this mobility by colonial and local authorities. The circumventing strategies used by some women to counter these restrictions relied mainly upon historical family migration networks. But these strategies would gradually become obsolete owing to patrilinear family networks proving ultimately to be much stronger thanks in particular to the colonial authorities’ support.