To Gender or Not to Gender: Making Sense of Oriki Soki in the Yoruba Naming System

Posted: 20 Nov 2013

See all articles by Oyeronke Oyewumi

Oyeronke Oyewumi

State University of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook

Date Written: April 12, 2013

Abstract

There are different types of names in Yoruba society. Traditionally, Yoruba names were not gender-specific in that both males and females bear the same names. Today however, oriki soki is a particular kind of name that is used in a gender distinctive way. Gendered names do not conform to the logic of Yoruba naming practices, their traditional worldsense and social organization. The apparent gendered nature of oriki soki, then, becomes a curiosity, a puzzle that needs to be explained. This is the goal of my paper.

Suggested Citation

Oyewumi, Oyeronke, To Gender or Not to Gender: Making Sense of Oriki Soki in the Yoruba Naming System (April 12, 2013). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2343229

Oyeronke Oyewumi (Contact Author)

State University of New York (SUNY), Stony Brook ( email )

Health Science Center
Stony Brook, NY
United States

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