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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Between respect and reciprocity
— managing old age in rural Ghana | | Author(s) | S van der Geest |
| Journal title | Southern African Journal of Gerontology, vol 6, no 2, October 1997 |
| Pages | pp 20-25 |
| Keywords | Ageism ; Social roles ; Rural areas ; Anthropological studies ; Ghana. |
| Annotation | Two principles underlie the attitude towards older people and their care in the Akan culture of Ghana: respect and reciprocity. The author argues that these principles are often in conflict with one another. Older people are entitled to respect because of their advanced age but they may not deserve it in terms of reciprocity. The ambivalence in the Akan attitude towards older people should be seen in the light of this contradiction. A culture of pretending provides young and old with the means to solve this contradiction. Outward respect is given to older people, both by the younger generations and older people themselves, however, adequate care may be withheld. A "fitting" funeral is the approved design for finishing off this uneasy condition gracefully. This article is based on anthropological research in a rural town in the southern part of Ghana. |
| Accession Number | CPA-980225404 A |
| Classmark | B:TOB: TM5: RL: 3FA: 7MS |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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