TO WHAT EXTENT HAS COLONIALISM INFLUENCED SOCIAL VALUES OF THE FANTE AND ASHANTI AKAN ETHNIC GROUPS OF GHANA
THE PROCESS
My initial title was 'To what extent did slavery interrupt the development of Africa
Evolved into 'To what extent has colonialism influenced the social and religious values of the Fante ethnic group of Ghana
Decided to narrow down the aspects of my title to focus solely on social values
What would I do differently?
Passionate about my title topic
Strong support system
Bountiful resources
Personal, first hand experience
Be more organised
Start earlier
Admit when I need help
Procrastination
Identifying specific areas to focus on
Remaining objective during research
Having to do independent research
WHY THIS TITLE?
Colonialism has influenced some aspects of society amongst the Fantes and Ashantis
But they have still retained core social values up till present times
Shift from matriarchal to patriarchal social system
However the Fantes and Ashantis still operate under a matrilineal lineage
Decline in polygamous social system
Genuine interest
Member of the Fante ethnic group
Currently studying A Level Sociology
Key Terms
KEY TERMS
HOW DID I DO IT?
Researched the history of colonialism
Defined social values
Specified which Akan ethnic groups I wanted to investigate
Used online libraries- JSTOR/Google Books
Frequent meetings with my supervisor
- Colonialism - the control of a nation over a dependent country and its peoples
- Social values are standards of social behaviour derived from social interaction and accepted as integral parts of social structure
- Fantes and Ashantis are the second largest members of the Akan ethnic group to which they belong. They are mainly found along the south coast of Ghana but are settled in many other areas of the country.
Customs - social practices that are common and followed by many people in a social group
Social organisation - pattern of relationships between and among individuals and groups. e.g. leadership, division of labour etc.