SOCI 223 Traditional Ghanaian Social Institutions: Session 12 - Traditional Modes of Socialisation

SOCI 223
Traditional Ghanaian
Social Institutions
Session 12 – Traditional
Modes of Socialisation
Lecturer: Dr. Rosemond Hiadzi, Sociology
Contact Information: rhiadzi@ug.edu.gh
College of Education
School of Continuing and Distance Education
2014/2015 – 2016/2017
Session Overview
• At the end of the session, the student will
• Understand the rationale behind socialization in traditional
societies
• Understand the ways in which traditional rites of passage
constitute traditional mechanisms for socialization
• Understand the importance of socialization for both the
individual and the society
Slide 2
Session Outline
The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows:
• Topic One – Defining socialization
• Topic Two – The nature nurture debate
• Topic Three - The Goals of socialization
• Topic Four – The various rites of passage as modes of
socialization
• Topic Five – Importance of socialization
Slide 3
Reading List
• Abotchie, C. (2011) Structure of Traditional Ghanaian
Societies. Hans Publications Ltd. Accra
• Assimeng, J. M. (1981) Social Structure of Ghana. Chapter one
• Nukunya, G. K. (2002) Tradition and Change. An Introduction
to Sociology. Chapters one and two
Slide 4
Topic One
DEFINING SOCIALIZATION
Slide 5
What is socialization?
• Roucek (1947) defines socialization as the training
process by which an individual, inexperienced in a
given culture, learns about and acquires that culture
as an aspect of his behavior
• Leslie, Larson and Gorman (1973) define socialization
as encompassing those processes by which an
individual learns to take account of social order and
to cope with it by some combination of conformity,
non conformity, avoidance and conflicts
Slide 6
Topic Two
THE NATURE NURTURE DEBATE
Slide 7
The nature nurture debate
• Humans are
Slide 8
Topic Three
THE GOALS OF SOCIALIZATION
Slide 9
The goals of socialization
• The need to inculcate in new members, basic skills
ranging from instinctual behavior to the methods of
science
• The ability of the individual to attain his/her ideal self
• The inculcation in the individual of the need to go
ahead (social aspiration)
• The creation of an awareness in the individual of
his/her social roles
Slide 10
Topic Four
THE VARIOUS RITES OF PASSAGE AS

MODES OF SOCIALIZATION
Slide 11
Naming (Outdooring) Ceremony
• During the naming ceremony, the
new born is given a drop of alcohol
and a drop of water to taste.
• This is to teach the child the virtue of
truth, he is admonished to stick by
what is right and reject what is wrong
• The ceremony is also performed on
the 8th day. The belief is that, the
child having survived till this day, has
come to stay and is therefore
welcomed into the land of the living.
• NB. If the child should die before the
8th day, no funeral will be performed
for him/her
• The child is also given a name. usually
he/she may is named after an
ancestor who led a good life. Thus it
is expected that the child will take
after the good qualities of the
ancestor
Slide 12
Post outdooring
• As the new born grows up, all members of the extended family,
neighbors and the entire community as a whole are responsible for
socializing the young one
• Any member of the community can punish the young one when
he/she goes contrary to the norms and values of the community
• The child is taught the need to respect the elders, table manners
and general etiquette bordering on the norms and values of the
community
• Proverbs and folktales (the famous ananse stories)are used to
socialize the young into conforming to acceptable patterns of
behavior
• Girls are socialized into performing female tasks such as cooking,
cleaning, sweeping, washing and other household chores
• Boys are socialized into male tasks such as fishing, hunting, farming
and other energy intensive tasks
Slide 13
Puberty rites
• This rite is performed exclusively for girls by
most of the ethnic groups in Ghana
• It is performed at menarche and signifies the
readiness of the girl for marriage
• It teaches the value of chastity before
marriage because it is performed only for
virgins. It is a big disgrace for the girl and her
parents if she is found not to be a virgin
• In some communities, the girl is required to
take a ritual bath in a snake pond. A
successful bath in this pond confirms her
virginity and allows her to enjoy the blessings
of the gods and ancestors. Alternatively, an
attempt is made to insert a boiled egg into
her vagina. An easy entry of the egg means
her hymen is broken and thus she is not a
virgin.
• The girl is also confined for a period where
she is taught how to take care of her home,
children and her husband when she gets
married
Slide 14
Marriage rites
• The puberty rites ushers the girl child into marriage
• Amongst the Ewes, the girl child is confined for 6 months prior to the marriage
where she is taught everything she needs to know about marriage, how to care for
her husband, her children and her home
• She is also taught important virtues such as humility, obedience and fidelity in
marriage
• Amongst the Southern Ewes, certain hexes of chastity exist to ensure a woman’s
fidelity in marriage. They include gbolo magba or adema, which is a herb planted
at the entrance to the house such that an adulterous woman will not be able to
enter the house until she confesses. Others are the psychic padlock which
prevents any other man from having sexual intercourse with the woman and the
fiatekli which exposes the adulterous couple by keeping them locked up in the
sexual act
• After the marriage ceremony, the marital bed is laid with a white bedsheet. This is
to show proof of the girl’s virginity and is expected to have blood stains on it after
the first sexual act of the girl with her husband. This proof is very important and
brings respect to the girl and her parents for having brought up their daughter in
the right way
Slide 15
Not for males
• The puberty and marriage rites are often times
exclusively for females. Males do not take part in
these rites because:
– Their biological make up is such that there is no way of
determining their readiness for puberty rites since they do
not menstruate
– Their virginity cannot also be proven due to the nature of
their biological make up
Slide 16
Mortuary rites
• This is a form of socialization for the living
• The rites allows the smooth transition of the dead person’s spirit to
the land of the dead where they can rest and continue with the
vocations they were practicing in the land of the living
• One needs to qualify for these rites as it is not performed
automatically for anyone who dies
• To qualify, one should have led a good and righteous life, must not
have committed any serious crime such as murder, adultery,
robbery or broken any serious taboo and should have died a natural
death
• This thus ensures that members of the community lead good and
exemplary lives and go according to the norms and values of the
community in order to avoid their spirits being perpetually trapped
between the land of the living and that of the dead
Slide 17
Importance of socialization
• It enables the individual to be accepted in the society
• It facilitates the individual’s potential for future growth
• It provides emotional satisfaction to the socialized
individual since he/she is able to get on well with his
peers and the opposite sex
• It enables the individual to fit into other cultures
• It prevents the individual from engaging in deviant acts
• It ensures cultural continuity as values and norms are
passed on from generation to generation
• It enables the individual to adapt to social changes as he
is able to understand and appreciate social issues
• It enhances the attainment of future goals
Slide 18

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SOCI 223

THE NATURE NURTURE DEBATE

THE GOALS OF SOCIALIZATION

THE VARIOUS RITES OF PASSAGE AS

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