Internal Migration, Social Exchange, and the Continuing Strength of Family Relationships in Nigeria

Daniel Smith, Brown University

This paper examines the effects of internal migration on family relationships among Igbo-speaking people in Nigeria. Based on anthropological and demographic study of a rural community and its migrants who have settled in Kano in northern Nigeria, the paper explores a range of 'exchanges' that characterize relations between migrants and their rural kin. In addition to data about remittances and other material exchanges, the paper focuses on generalized social exchange relationships that are less amenable to quantification, such as participation in rituals of the lifecycle that bring migrants 'home' and influence relationships between family members. The paper concludes that, among the Igbo, internal migration contributes to the importance of strong kinship ties and that these ties are maintained through culturally reproduced expectations regarding exchanges between kin. While migration and urbanization are often assumed to break down traditional patterns of family relationships, under some conditions, kinship relationships may become more important.