Al-Qalam University Katsina

College of Social and Management Sciences

Department Sociology

Course Tittle: Introduction to African Societies and Culture

Course Code: SOC 103/ SOC1213 Session 2024/2025 First Semester
Course Objectives, Description, Outline and Reading List
Course Requirements

Class Attendance -------------------------- 5 Marks

Mid semester Test -------------------------15 Marks
Last Test ------------------------------------20 Marks
Final Examination -------------------------60 Marks

Attendance Policy: the students is expected to be in class on time, and prepared to participate in
class discussions. A students must have 75% attendance before he/she be allowed to write
examinations.
Cell-phone Policy: please turn off your cell phones before the class begins.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the course the students should be able to;
1. Survey African societies and their associated cultures in traditional colonial and
contemporary setting;
2. Identify social organization, language polity, economy, and world view and political
organization;
3. Define culture and other concepts;
4. Explain the meaning of components of culture with examples;
5. Identify peoples and cultures in Nigeria/Africa (such as Nigeria has less than 300 ethnic
groups each with its distinct culture);
6. Account for the of ethnic or tribal groups in Africa;
7. Distinguish aspects of their social structure such as patrilineal and maltrineal aspects of
their traditional religion, before imported religion like Christianity and Islam;
8. Describe important aspects of family/ family life, and their belief systems;
9. Explain their preoccupations with magic, which craft and many others which still co-exist
side-by side with science and imported belief-system of Christianity and Islam.
10. Explain their main occupational life before westernization/modernization
 11. Describe practices like polygamy ( polygyny and polyandry),levirate (wife inheritance),
food taboos and others targeted at women and children; and
12. Demonstrate total understanding of the peoples of Nigeria/Africa.

Course Outline

1. Introduction
 African continent
 African people
 African Culture
2. The Concept of Culture
 Meaning of culture
 Component of culture
 Characteristics of culture
 Cultural concepts

3. The Concept of African cultural values

 African cultural Values in Pre-colonial and Contemporary African Societies
4. The Concept of Society
 Meaning of society
 Element of society
 Types of society
 Features of traditional and modern societies

5. African Customs
 Definition of marriage
 Types of African marriages
 Rules of descent and residents in African marriages.
 Changes in African Marriages and factors responsible

6. Religion in Africa
 Meaning of Religion
 Types of Religion
 Functions of Religion in traditional African Societies.
 Traditional Religion in Africa
 Islam in Africa
 Christianity in Africa

7. African Traditional Production System

8. Colonialism and independence of Africa

  Meaning of colonialism
 Reasons for colonization of Africa
 Impact of colonialism to African societies
 African reaction to colonialism

Concept of Africa and African people

Africa is sometime nicknamed the “mother continents” as it’s the oldest in habited continents on
earth. Africa is a home to over 1.4 million people spread across over 50 countries. There are
more countries in Africa more than any other continents of the world. This is not surprising
given that Africa has been home to humans for over 200,000 years. Africa is the only continents
in which evidence has been found for man’s evolution. The material evidence for human
evolution depends largely upon the recovery examination of ancient bones fossils, stone tools
and other artefacts. Africa has over three thousand (3000) ethnic groups speaking more than
2100 different languages in all Africa. Some of the major ethnic groups include;

1. Berbers this group can be found in countries like morocco, Algeria, Tunisia,
Egypt Libya etc.
2. Hausa’s has a population approximately 20 million which can be found in
countries like Nigeria, Niger, Ghana, Chad, Cameroon etc.
3. Yoruba people has a population approximately 5.5 million which can be found in
Nigeria and Benin
4. Igbo peoples also has approximately 5.5 million population located in Nigeria and
Cameroon and some other parts of African continents
5. Oromo people has approximately 28 million population which can be found in
Ethiopia and Kenya and some other parts of African continents. Some other
ethnic groups of Africa include Mande, Ijaw, Fulani, Zulu, Songhai etc.

The different peoples of Africa also display the widest differences in physical variation more
than any other continents of the planets we have the extremely short Maasai, the very short
khoisan, who were once call bush men and pygmies. Similarly, most of the Africans people
belong to black race and very few with light skin color. African people can also be identified
through their hair style clothing, food, greetings, music and dancing.

Africa is rich in gold diamond oil and many other natural and cultural resources, yet it has not
managed to realize on its wealth. Africa was very much advanced in their level of development
before the coming of Europeans, and the changes that came to Africa as a results of slavery,
colonialism, imperialism have brought a lot of underdevelopment to the continent. Thus there is
a need for Africans to strengthening regional cooperation, enhancing agricultural productivity
promoting entrepreneurship and job creation among others in order to provide positive change to
the continents.

Concept of Culture
The term “culture” is difficult to define. To some people, culture is impliedly limited to arts,
singing, dancing, and literature. Culture is in, a sociological sense much beyond that, it’s a way
of life of a people. It connotes the manners and mannerism, customs and costumes, character and
characteristics of a given people. Sheppard (2002) argue that what people do and don’t, what
they like and dislike what they believe and do not believe what they value and discount are all
based,

in large part, of culture. (E.B Taylor 1871), define culture as that complex whole which includes
knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities acquired by man as a
member of society. Culture is therefore a means through which people interpret their world and
act purposely within it. Man is certainly a products of his own culture, he is what he is, because
he was made to be what he is by his own society. The functions of culture are for social
regulations, guide, integration survival and sustainability. The crucial mechanism through which
culture is passed is socialization, which constitutes of agents like family, school, peer group and
the mass media. Finally culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our
language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we great, and a million other
things. Hence culture is the total way of life of a people living in the society.

Components of Culture

Culture has two major components. These are the material and non-material culture.

1. Material culture, refers to those tangible objects and artifacts that we can see. These objects
include cloths, cooking utensils, hoes, and buildings etc.
2. Non material On the other hand, non-material culture refers to abstract creations like values,
beliefs, norms etc.
Characteristics of Culture

Culture has various characteristics. Thus, the following are the characteristics of culture:

1. Culture is learned
2. Culture is dynamic
3. Culture is transmitted
4. Culture is universal
5. Culture is based on symbol
Culture is learned: the culture of any giving society must be learned. This indicate that culture
can be learned through observation participation or association with other members of a
particular group. Culture is not in born in people its taught and shared with people especially
during primary socialization process.

Culture is dynamic: because it changes over time and sometimes and sometime some factors
influence these changes. Thus, culture is not static, culture changes as people change their way of
doing things.

Culture is transmitted: culture is continuous, it’s passed down from one generation to another.

Culture is universal: culture is common to every society worldwide, there is society without
cultural practices.

Culture is based on symbols: a symbol is something that represents or stands for something else.
Symbols differ cross-culturally and are arbitrary. They only have meaning when people in a
culture agree on their use. Example of cultural symbols include: architecture, clothes, dressings
or clothes, food etc.

Cultural Concepts

The following concepts are significant in understanding the nature and dimension of culture.

Ethnocentrism: This refers to looking down on other people’s culture as being inferior to one’s
culture. Most people assume that their own culture, group and behaviors are superior to those of
others and that one’s own culture is superior to others; and that one’s beliefs, values and
behaviours are more correct than others.

Cultural relativity: This refers to the fact that culture is unique to every society, therefore every
culture must be judged in terms of its standard, rather than by the standards of another culture.
Often times, people are fond of saying ‘our culture is superior to their culture’. The concept of
cultural relativity pre-supposes that no culture is superior to another; so you cannot use the
standard of one culture as a basis for judging another.

Cultural diversity: This concept maintains that even though culture is found everywhere in the
world, there are certain unique aspects of cultural traits in one culture that are not found in any
other culture. For instance, the marriage institution is found everywhere, but particular types of
marriages are peculiar to particular cultures.

Cultural universals: This term suggests that certain cultural traits are universal, even though
certain aspects of a given culture are unique. For instance, the family institution is a universal
one. There is no society in the world that the family does not exist.
Xenocentricism: It is the direct opposite of ethnocentricism. It is the belief that what is foreign
is best. That one’s own lifestyle, products or ideas are inferior to those of others. For example,
Africans who breach their skin to look like white consider their skin to be inferior to that of the
whites.

Cultural imperialism: This is a situation where foreign cultures dominate a specific indigenous
culture both in material and nonmaterial modes. This domination is mostly achieved through
news gathering and reportage, and virtual domination of foreign sources.

Concept of African Culture

Ezedike (2009) defined African culture as: ‘the sum total of shared attitudinal inclinations and
capabilities, art, beliefs, moral codes and practices that characterize Africans. It can be conceived
as a continuous, cumulative reservoir containing both material and non-material elements that
are socially transmitted from one generation to another. African culture, therefore, refers to the
whole lot of African heritage’. Ezedike’s conceptualization of African culture highlights the fact
that our culture trickled from generation to generation through oratory practices of the people: a
reason for which most of the important aspects of the culture might have been lost or altered.

African Cultural Values in Precolonial and Contemporary African Societies

African cultural values are specific tradition and heritage that all African societies have in
common. These heritage and traditions are what make the African culture unique. They range
from:
1. Sense of Community Life
2. Sense of respect for authority and the Elders
3. Sense of respect for tradition
4. Sense of cooperation and mutual aid
5. Sense of hospitality

1. Sense of Community Life. One most important of African Culture is the issue leaving in
harmony which is endorsed by communal living. This African traditional heritage is currently
found in most of our rural areas where of activities being them social, political, economic or
otherwise is being excused communally. Africans emphasizes on community life and
communalism as a living principles of which basic ideology is community-identity.
Communalism is the ideology and principle in traditional African societies, whereas
Individualism is serious discouraged. Living together and the sense of community of brothers
and sisters are the basis of the extended family system some of which is still found in rural
communities (sharing the same compound eating from the same pot). The philosophy behind
communalism, therefore guaranteed individuals responsibility within the communal ownership
and relationship. The reader may wish to make reference to what obtains, in traditional setting of
Katsina, Kano, Zaria and other traditional cities in Nigeria.
2. Sense of respect for authority and the elders: peoples of traditional African societies value the
experience and the authority of older generations.

3. Sense of respect for tradition: honoring customs rituals and cultural heritage

4. Sense of Cooperation and mutual aid. That is people of traditional African society are working
together in a cooperative manner to achieve common goals

5. Sense of hospitality African people have a sense of welcoming guest and showing generosity
to strangers.
Others African values related to the above include sense of good human relation, sense of sacred
and religion, sense of time, sense of language and proverbs etc.

Definition of Society
The word society emerged in the 16 th century. It was derived from the French word” societe”
which stemmed from the Latin words societas and “socius” meaning “friendly association with
others” and “companion associate comrade or business partner” respectively. The Latin word is
probably related to the verb sequi, which means to follow and originally may have meant
follower. Society has been used to mean a group of people who share a common culture, occupy
a particular territorial area and feel themselves to constitute a unified and distinct entity. It’s a
network of relationships that bind members together. This is because human beings live in
groups known as communities whose members share common and peculiar culture. Scholars and
experts have different perception on what constitute the concept of society. According to Horton
& Hunt “society is a relatively independent, self-perpetuating human group which occupies a
territory, shares culture and has most of its associations within group”. Similarly, Anthony
Giddens (2000), opined that society is a group of people who live in a particular territory, are
subject to common system of political authority and are aware of having a distinct identity from
other groups around them”. Society has several elements as identified by Dzurgba (2009) these
elements include: Land, population, relationships, history etc.

Land: people need land for production of food, water supply, housing mineral resources
construction etc. human beings interact with land to produce various useable commodities
required for human development
Population: is another important element for society. A society does not exist without people
living in it. People provide labor, which work on land produce results. Therefore, the issue of
knowledge and skills possessed by members of society becomes vital in considering the
characteristics of a particular society.
Relationship: the dimension of relationship becomes very vital in any society. In the course of
interaction, people create various forms of relationships in the society. Such relationships exist in
form of marriage, friendship, families, working relationships etc.

Interdependence: man is a social animal, the survival and wellbeing of each member of society
is very much dependent on others. For instance, an individual may depend on others to provide
food, shelter, security, health services for the fulfilment of his needs and necessities.
History: history is also another element of society. History of a people provides a store house for
their past and present events. History provides necessary information about the background of a
people, their customs, values, institutions, technology progress and development of a society.
Other element of society includes occupation politics etc.

Types of Societies
Sociology recognizes many types of societies and defines these types of societies in a very
different manner. Therefore, the following are the six major types of societies and some of their
defining features;
1. A hunting gathering society
2. A pastoral society
3. A horticultural society
4. An agrarian society
5. An industrial society
6. A postindustrial society

1. A hunting gathering society is a society in which people make their living by hunting,
collecting wild foods and fishing with simple technologies.
Features of Hunting Gathering Society
1. They have small group size, typically consisting of extended family members 20-50
people
2. Hunting and gathering society are nomadic which means that they move constantly in
order to find food and water.
 3. No private property. All the members have equal access to resources and land
4. They used simple technology made from stones wood and bones to hunt for animals.
5. They shared cooperative child care responsibilities among group members
6. They have a sense of respect for elders, valuing wisdom experience and knowledge of
older members
7. Shared labor that’s they shared cooperative hunting and gathering efforts etc.

2. Pastoral society: is a society that depends on domestic animals for its lively hood this type of
societies began around 12,000 years ago. Pastoral societies are common in areas where crops
cannot be supported, for example in North Africa. Unlike hunting and gathering societies
pastoral societies only have to move when the land in which the animal graze is no longer usable.
The main features of pastoral society include;

1. Pastoral societies allow for job specialization since not everyone is needed gather or hunt
for food. For example, while some people breed animal’s others are able to produce tools
or clothing.
2. Live sock ownership animal such as cattle goat’s camels etc. are central to the economy
and social organization
3. Social hierarchy status is often based on the number and quality of animals owned
4. Sharing cooperation and reciprocity meaning that there is mutual aid and shared resource
management with neighboring pastoral or agricultural group.

3. Horticultural societies: is a society in which hand tools are used to grow domesticated crops.
Horticultural societies emerged between 10,000 and12, 000 years ago in Latin America, Asia and
Middle East. These societies rely on the cultivation of fruits vegetable and plant in order to
survive. Horticultural societies tend to relocate when the resources of the land are depleted or
when the water supply decrease. Some features of a horticultural society include;

1. Small scale farming growing crops for subsistence using simple tools and techniques
2. Social hierarchy there is emerging of social classes with some hierarchies and
specialization of labor.
3. Property ownership individuals and families begins to own land and resources
4. Increase food storage that is storing surplus food for later use, allowing for population
growth.
5. Emergence of leaders, leaders or chiefs emerge to coordinate community activities.

5. An agrarian society is a society that depends on crop raised with plows, draft animals,
and intensive agricultural method. This stage hosts larger agricultural settlements and
advancement in technology. People in this society focus most of their effort on food
production but new technology like flow helps them to farm more efficiently.
5. Industrial societies: is a society that relies on machines and advanced technology to produce
and distribute food, information, goods and services. The industrial revolution was begun in
England but quickly spread to the U.S where technology started to be used to produce goods and
services. The industrial revolution brought a significant societal shift. It interlinked society and
science and showed the importance of sharing scientific information between individuals to
develop society.

6.Postindustrial societies: is a stage of societies development where the services sector generates
more wealth than the manufacturing center of the economy. In other worsds, postindustrial
society is a society that has shifted its economy from manufacturing goods to providing services.
Industrial societies focus on innovating and inventing technologies.

Definition of Marriage
All societies have customs governing how and under what circumstance sex and reproduction
can occur generally marriage plays a central role in these customs. Marriage has for ages been
regarded as an acceptable way of adding more members to the lineage and at the same time
expanding the scope of affinal relations. Marriage is socially approved union that united two or
more individuals as spouses. Implicit in this union is that there will be sexual relations,
reproduction and permanence in the relationship. Robert H.Lowis defines marriage as a
relatively permanent bond between permissible mates. Malinowski also defines marriage as a
contract for the production and maintenance of children. Generally marriage is a socially
recognized union between two or more people that involve uxorial right.
The marriage customs in Nigeria vary as there are numerous ethic diversities. But the
payment of bridal token or dowry is common throughout the country. The groom is expected to
give money, property, or some service to the family of the bride. Western-style dating is not
common in rural areas, but it is practiced by some young people in the urban areas. Women
usually marry by the time they are 20 and men marry in their mid-20s. Marriage is usually
considered a process rather than an event, so couples may live together before or instead of a
formal marriage ceremony. Many couples simply find a wedding to be too expensive.
Although specific details of the family structure vary from one ethnic group to another, Nigerian
families are generally male dominated. Polygamy (a form of plural marriage where a man has
more than one wife) is practiced, but it’s particularly varies according to region, ethnic group,
and education. Educated Christian women living in the urban centers, for example, are less likely
to marry a man with other wives than other women might be.

While the status of Muslim women in Nigeria is similar to that in other Islamic countries, most
other women enjoy a great degree of freedom- they influence family decisions, engage in open
trade at the market place, and account for about a third of the labor force. Large families
traditionally share the workload at home. Nigerians have deep respect for their elders.

Types of Family

Monogamous marriage

Monogamous family is made up one man and a woman. The Christian religion and court
marriages encourage this type of family.

Polygamous marriage

This consists of a man with multiple partners. The Islamic and African traditional religion
approve of a man marrying more than one wife. However, in the Islamic religion, the man can
marry only four wives if he is able to meet certain conditions stipulated in the Quran.

Polyandrous marriage

In this type of marriage, a woman is allowed to marry more than one man at a time. Examples of
such families are found in few families in South Asia (usually allowed in poor societies with
shortage of women.) For instance, the Toda people of India practiced this when a man marries a
woman and she becomes a wife to all his brothers. It was also used as a strategy to keep the
birthrate down in cases of extreme poverty.

2. Marriage Resident Pattern :

Matrilocal Residence

This is a situation where by newly married couple is expected to live with or near the wife’s
parents.

Patrilocal Residence

This is a situation whereby the society expects the newly married couple to live with or near the
husband’s parents.

Bilocal Residence

A situation whereby newly married couple is allowed to choose whether they will live with or
near the husband or wife’s parents.

Neolocal Residence

The newly married couple is free to set up their residence apart from both parents.
Changes in African Marriages and Family System
African marriage and family systems have undergone significant changes in recent years.
Influenced by various factors such as globalization, urbanization, and changing societal norms.
This evolution has result the adoption of new cultural practices, the emergence of new family
structures, and shift in traditional gender roles.
There have been several changes in African marriage and family system in recent years
including:
1. Shift from arranged marriages to love marriages
2. Increase in divorce rate
3. Changing gender roles
4. Decline of extended families
5. Adoption of western cultural practices etc.

1. One of the most significant changes that have taken place in African marriage and family
systems is the shifts from arranged marriages to love marriages. Historically, many African
societies practiced arranged marriages, where parents or elders choose partners for their children
based on social and economic considerations. However, this practice has gradually been replaced
by love marriages, where individuals choose their partners based on personal preferences and
mutual attraction. This shift has given more autonomy to individuals, especially women, and has
allowed them to choose partners who share their values and aspirations.

2. Another notable change is the increase in divorce rates in African societies. In the past divorce
was rare and generally frowned upon in African cultures. However in recent years, divorce rates
have been on the rise due to various factors such as changing gender roles, economic pressures,
and increase individualism. While divorce can be emotionally challenging for families, it also
presents an opportunity for individuals to end unhappy marriages and start anew.

3. There has also been a change in traditional gender roles in African societies. Historically men
were responsible for providing for the family, while women were expected to take care of the
home and children. However with the increasing number of women in the work force and their
participation in decision-making process within the family, traditional gender roles have become
more fluid. This has led to greater gender equality and empowerment of women, who can now
pursue careers and contribute to their family’s economic wellbeing.

Another change that has took place in the decline of extended families and the rise of nuclear
families. Traditionally extended families were an integral part of African societies, with several
generations living together under one roof. However, with urbanization and migration, extended
families have declined, and nuclear families have become more common. This has led to changes
in family dynamic, such as the increase in the number of single-parent households.
4. Lastly with globalization and exposure to western cultures, African societies have adopted
some western cultural practices such as monogamy and nuclear families, which have gradually
replaced traditional polygamous and extended families. While some view this as a positive
development, others argue that it has eroded African cultural values and traditions.