Andreev I.L. Nonlinear Logistics of the Kinship: Pararoxes of African Intergenerational Relationships

Abstract: Intra- and intergenerational relations are the geneological ties inside African society. An African person walks through the stages of traditional existence not alone by as the part of his/her age-specific brotherhood or sisterhood and according to their specific role in the society. Noteworthy that the vertical links betwen 'horizontal' age groups do not necessarily mean ingoration of the gender differentiation and African society structure. The latter is not jut a trivial age-related ladder even though it should be admitted that in many ways age determines social functions and social status of an individual. In the African society connections between age groups are complicated with the intergenerational links and are difficult-to-understand by the European mentality. These connections create a specific pyramid and continue to play a systemically important role. Testified by the empirical experience of their ancestors, this model of social life allows to be more flexible when taking into account gender and age-specific psychophysiological features of members of ethnic tribes. This model is based on physiological activization of particular parts of the brain at a certain age and divides the local society into two equal parts depending on different age-related statuses of the members. One part is represented by mature individuals capable of working. The other part consists of children and elderly people who need support and care. Based on such anthropological disposition, many problems and paradoxes of African society look different if not viewed from the point of view of psychological differences between sexes and age groups. However, the one does not exclude the other. The spatiotemporal fields of these relationships and connections vary and therefore do not always coincide. The correlation between such factors as age and gender and its role in the primitive society and modern archaic forms of the primitive society are the subject matter for scientific discussion. This is one of the reasons why the author of the present article presents the point of view which may differ from the opinions of his respected colleagues. 

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