User:Efreitas2/Gender Inequality in Nso' Community

The Nso' is a state within a state because "For people in Nso', legitimacy is associated, not with the national center, but with relations among kin and neighbors and the political institutions of their indigenous chiefdom." (Goheen, 1996:7).

"Article evaluation"

Miriam Goheen is an ethnographer who conducted an ethnography in Cameroon about N'so people. In 1996, Goheen published her ethnographic book, Men Own the Fields, Women Own the Crops. In the book, Goheen covered three fundamental and powerful concepts which are gender, hegemony (power, social hierarchy), and production. The N'so people established their government which is composed of the chief leader with the title of Fon and he is surrounded by a group of men called the "Ngwerong" who helped him govern the people of Nso. The "Ngwerong" keep the Fon from having the ultimate power. However, the government is hegemonic. Goheen defined hegemony according to Gramsci, " Gramsci uses 'hegemony' to mean the ways in which a governing power wins consent from those it subjugates; it is carried in cultural, political, and economic forms, in nondiscursive as well as in theoretical utterances" (Goheen 1996: 12). Goheen discussed hegemony as an ideology that was established to oppress the Nso people, especially the women. N'so men had power over their women and the women must submit to every decision of the men. Women cannot reign over the men. As an example, Goheen talked about the myth of Ngonso, "who founded a new nation only to have her son to accede to the throne, suggests something of the paradoxical relationship between women and power" (Goheen 1996: 51). This myth explains clearlythe ssocialhhierarchy with the men as leaders and women at the bottom. Probably, the Nso society must be patriarchal with male dominance. Women are completely excluded from the men gatherings and cannot participate in any big decision-makings. This is a characteristic of gender inequality among Nso society. In addition, Goheen talked about the production which contributes to the economy of Nso people. The main production of Nso people is agriculture and Nso women are the principal means of the production.wWomen grew all the food and had control over the household food supply in ways which constantly demonstrated men's day-to-day dependence on their wives' work and nature and forced them to acknowledge women as the 'backbone of the country'" (Goheen 1996: 63). The women 's support gives their men the ability to trade and produce cash money which gives them access to title and a place in the palace.Bearian (talk) 21:05, 27 March 2017 (UTC)