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id	eprints-33116
recordtype	eprints
institution	SOAS, University of London
collection	SOAS Research Online
language	English
language_search	English
description	Examining court cases of ‘marriage fraud’ and ‘bigamy’ heard in the region of Kayes (French Sudan, currently Mali) in the first half of the twentieth century, this chapter analyses the lack of colonial interest in understanding the complex geographies of local marriage and circulation of women until the late 1930s. This neglect entailed the invention of specific offences such as ‘marriage fraud’ and ‘bigamy’, while women attempted to navigate the colonial and local landscapes of power and to claim their agency, including emotional agency, when it came to marriage’s consent. These cases also demonstrate the crucial role played by female family members, especially mothers and aunts, when it came to marriage negotiations and daughters’ support in marital strategies. This specific female power would be soon eroded by the colonial codification of customary law.
author_additional	Barclay, Kathie
author_additionalStr	Barclay, Kathie
format	Book Chapters
author	Rodet, Marie
author_facet	Rodet, Marie
authorStr	Rodet, Marie
author_letter	Rodet, Marie
title	‘Bigamy’, ‘marriage fraud’ and colonial patriarchy in Kayes, French Sudan (1905–1925)
publisher	Routledge
publishDate	2019
url	https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/33116/