Cicisbeism

Cicisbeism is a form of polyandric marriage that was particularly common in pre-colonial Nigerian societies. As with secondary marriage, it is a socially tolerated sexual relationship between a woman and several (usually two) men. However, the woman is considered to be married to only one of the men. While the wife is not necessarily free to choose her husband, she chooses her lover (cicisbeo) herself and the latter acquires sexual rights by paying the husband a fee.

With the privilege of women to be able to choose their own lover, this form of relationship is markedly different from other forms of polyandry.

The term Cicisbeo originally referred to the legalized institution of the household friend in Italy in the 17th century.

literature

• Audrey Smedley: The implications of Birom cicisbeism . In: Nancy E. Levine, Walter H. Sangree: Women with Many Husbands. Polyandrous Alliance and Marital Flexibility in Africa and Asia (special issue of the Journal of Comparative Family Studies ), Volume 11 (1980), Issue 3, pp. 345-357, ISSN  0047-2328 , JSTOR 41601141 .
• Adam Jones: Prostitution, Polyandry, or Rape? On the ambiguity of European sources about the coast of West Africa between 1660 and 1860 . In the S. (Ed.): Non-European Women's History, Problems of Research (Women in History and Society; Volume 25). Centaurus VG, Pfaffenweiler 1990, pp. 123-158, ISBN 3-89085-429-X