Family identity and the state in the Bamako Kafu, c.1800-c.1900 \

This groundbreaking book explores the history and the cultural context of family claims to power in Bamako, located in modern-day Mali in West Africa. Perinbam argues that these families manipulated traditional belief systems (including myth, ritual, and ancestral legends) in the quest for political power, economic success, and social status. As a result, Perinbam offers new insights into the processes of Mande social history.