"Kinship and Fluid Social Structure," Africville: The Life and Death of a Canadian Black Community

"Kinship and Fluid Social Structure," Africville: The Life and Death of a Canadian Black Community

This passage explains how deeply connected Africville families were, and how the community’s social structure operated in ways that official records could never fully capture. It describes the various forms of tight-knit relationships that held the community together, long-standing kinship ties, adoption and foster arrangements, and the blending of step- and half-kin relationships that created a large, extended family across the community. Even the use of shared nicknames for each other reflects how familiar residents were with one another and how identity in Africville came from community recognition rather than formal categories. The passage also helps to explain why Africville sometimes seemed “jumbled” outsiders, who did not understand these interconnected systems. In reality, Africville was held together by a strong, adaptable, and intimate network of people who supported one another across generations.

Authors: Donald H. Clairmont and Dennis William Magill

Africville: The Life and Death of a Canadian Black Community, Chapter 2

Canadian Scholars' Press

1999

Canadian Scholars' Press, Donald H. Clairmont, and Dennis William Magill