The slave trade and the origins of matrilineal kinship

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences • Vol/Iss. 379(1897) • The Royal Society Publishing • • Published In • Pages: ??•
By Lowes, Sara, Nunn, Nathan

Abstract

Lowes and Nunn test the theory that the transatlantic and Indian Ocean slave trades of the thirteenth to nineteenth centuries prompted a shift towards matrilineal kinship systems throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Controlling for ecological variables commonly thought to affect kinship structure (including ruggedness of terrain, suitability for agriculture, etc.), the authors find a significant correlation between the number of people enslaved from a given ethnic group, and the tendency of that group towards a matrilineal kinship system. Polygyny was also identified as a statistically significant characteristic of communities most impacted by the slave trade.

Samples

Sample Used Coded Data Comment
Ethnographic Atlas (EA)CombinationHistorical geographic boundaries for African ethnic groups, which researchers matched to slave trade data from Nunn & Wantchekon; researchers also used EA variables
Nunn & Wantchekon Enslavement Statistics, 1400-1900CombinationIncluding 101,704 enslaved individuals from 309 ethnic groups throughout Africa

Hypotheses (1)

HypothesisSupported
The impact of the slave trade on sub-Saharan societies is positively correlated with the subsequent presence of matrilineal kinship and polygyny.Supported
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: seb.wanggaouette