The Second Generation. A Study of the Family Among Urbanized Bantu in East London

The final volume in the trilogy 'Xhosa in Town'. 8vo; original salmon-coloured cloth, lettered in gilt on spine; dustwrapper; pp. xviii + (ii) + 219, incl. index; plates; tables; map. Dustwrapper edgeworn, sunned and scuffed; trace of soiling to fore-edge; sporadic foxing. Good. "The town in question is East London, Cape Province; the people studied in this volume are second-generation East Londoners, Bantu who were born or bred in town. . The investigation shows how the acceptance of Western patterns started among preceding generations in rural areas, and how the process of 'Westernization' was furthered by definitive settlement in town. In certain situations, however, traditional values and patterns of behaviour assert themselves, and appear to meet the emotional needs arising from uncertainty and insecurity. These themes are illustrated by examining the conditions which caused the first generation to 'get stuck' in town; by isolating distinct cultural types among the second generation; and by analysing family rituals and ceremonies, household and family structure, and the social network of second-generation town-dwellers. An interesting feature revealed by this study is the 'matrifocal' trend emerging in many urban households.".…