Sustainability and Social Justice
Negotiating Love and Marriage in Contemporary Senegal: A Good Man Is Hard to Find
Document Type
Article
Abstract
In Senegal, love, respect, and compatibility have historically figured into marital calculations, yet prospective husbands must also provide material support. After decades of stagnant economic growth, good providers are hard to find. In this article we examine two strategies that women employ in an attempt to achieve economic security: nonmarital sex and transnational marriage. Though recent anthropological literature proposes a global transition toward companionate marriage, evidence from Dakar suggests that Senegalese women are prioritizing short-term material gain over longer-term projects of social reproduction. Transnational marriage and nonmarital sexual relationships illuminate women's new strategies to stabilize their social positions in increasingly precarious times.
Publication Title
African Studies Review
Publication Date
9-1-2015
Volume
58
Issue
2
First Page
205
Last Page
225
ISSN
0002-0206
DOI
10.1017/asr.2015.44
Keywords
marriage, nonmarital relations, Senegal, transnational migration
Repository Citation
Hannaford, Dinah and Foley, Ellen, "Negotiating Love and Marriage in Contemporary Senegal: A Good Man Is Hard to Find" (2015). Sustainability and Social Justice. 266.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_idce/266
