Change and Continuity in Women's Work in Colonial Benin Society, Nigeria

Abstract

The paper examines the nature and changes women's work underwent during the colonial period, and also the place of women in the pre-colonial Benin kingdom. The paper discusses the traditional roles that pertain to women in society as presented in various institutions, as well as traditions that exist in traditional Benin society. The incursion of the European and the emerging influences arising from that contact, such as new economic opportunities arising from Western economic policies, affected their industry, agriculture, trade, and entrepreneurial activities. The evolution of the Benin woman from the traditional society to the modern society is recognizable. The skillful adaptation of Benin women in this period of change exhibited their capacity to engage in the process of transformation without completely losing their identity. It is within this context that the paper seeks the transformational history of the Benin woman as one of change and continuity.

Keywords: Benin Woman, Colonial Period, Change, Continuity, Agriculture, Crafts, and Industry.