Reproduction and Social Context in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Collection of Micro-Demographic Studies

(Hardback)

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Perhaps no region matches sub-Saharan Africa in its social and cultural diversity. In this collection of micro-demographic studies, the authors examine how the diversity of this region influences reproductive behavior. The empirical studies, distributed throughout the continent, are localized, in-depth studies that give special attention to contextual effects of social structure and social organization. A diverse range of topics is addressed including, adolescent sexuality and the effects of early childbearing on later fertility, the impact of development programs on fertility and the association between social organization, social diffusion, and reproductive regime. Highly revealing of the determinants of reproduction in Africa, these studies serve as a model for a new mode of demographic research. The chapters are arranged by geographical regions of the continent, with an introductory chapter outlining the editors' vision of a micro-demographic enterprise and a concluding chapter placing the African fertility transition in the context of the global fertility transition. This volume inspires fresh thinking and theorizing about demographic change, not only in sub-Saharan Africa, but also in all low-income settings.

Reviews

"This book takes us beyond the mechanical analysis of reproduction in Africa and offers a richer set of frameworks for the interpretation of changing patterns of fertility and family formation in Africa. The case studies finally lay to rest the notion that fertility levels in Africa are driven only by biology and the proximate determinants of fertility. African reproduction is as hidebound with cultural, social and economic considerations as anywhere else. A notable theme in the book is the frank confrontations of African sexuality--an important advance in a continent devastated by HIV/AIDS. For those teaching and researching in this area, the book will provide a rich reservoir of fresh field observations that should capture the imaginations of Africans and Africanists alike and inspire researchers to spend even more time talking things over with the locals."-Allan G. Hill PhD Harvard School of Public Health
"I applaud the editors and the contributing authors for this innovative contribution to the field....[t]his book is a major contribution to understanding diverse contexts of fertility behavior in sub-Saharan Africa, and should provoke a multilevel, multidisciplinary response to findings."-International Journal of African Historical Studies
I applaud the editors and the contributing authors for this innovative contribution to the field....[t]his book is a major contribution to understanding diverse contexts of fertility behavior in sub-Saharan Africa, and should provoke a multilevel, multidisciplinary response to findings.-International Journal of African Historical Studies

Author Bio

SAMUEL AGYEI-MENSAH is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geography and Resource Development at the University of Ghana. He is currently working on a book on the spread of HIV/AIDS in Ghana. JOHN B. CASTERLINE is Senior Research Associate in the Policy Research Division at the Population Council in New York. He is the author of Diffusion Processes and Fertility Transition (2001).