Social Isolation in a Solidarity-Based Society: The Example of the Sereer Siin in Senegal

Although sub-Saharan Africa is undergoing major social changes, including those in the support role played by families, the phenomenon of social isolation has been little studied. This article sets out to identify a theoretical framework for studying social isolation in the solidarity-based societies of sub-Saharan Africa and to describe how such isolation manifests among the Sereer Siin in Senegal. The analysis is based on 52 interviews conducted as part of a survey on social networks by the Niakhar Social Networks and Health Project. These data suggest that isolation happens through the inability to maintain membership of the informal social insurance system. They further suggest that migration (men migrating for work, women for marriage) is an explanatory factor for social isolation when it occurs in such situations as family conflict and impoverishment.