(The information in this talk has been taken from Ann Samuelson’s presentation “Kinship,” Conrad Kottak’s
presentations “Marriage” and “Kinship”, and Conformity and Conflict 10 ed.)
Family, kinship, and marriage
A fundamental social group in society• 2+ people who share goals and
values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place.
• Usually based on kinship relationships• Usually implies rights and obligations
• Economic• Child-rearing• Etc.
• Nuclear family - widespread but not universal
Family
Kinship
How cultures perceive and formally categorize people’s relationships based on marriage, biology, and adoption• Consanguinity = by common ancestor, adoption• Affinity = by marriage
• helps to answer questions:• Who am I close to? Who am I distant from?• Who can I marry?• Who can I be romantically involved/have sex with?• Who am I obligated to cooperate with?• Who provides support during crises?• Who shares in economic and religious undertakings?• Etc.
• As long as a society remains small, kinship groups are very important.
Kinship cross-culturally
Lots of variety At individual level, usually ascribed Possibilities include:
• Unilineal Matrilineal Patrilineal
• Bilateral (e.g. most in U.S.A.& Canada, Inuit)
• Others (e.g. bilineal, ambilineal)
• Matrilineal descent: Heritage traced back to mother’s mother, mother and her siblings, and the children of your mother’s sisters. Less common. (e.g. Hopi, Canela)
Matrilocal: New husband moves in with the wife and her parents.
Pros?Cons?
• Patrilineal descent: Most common type of Unilineal decent. Traces ancestry through male lines: starting with father’s father to father and father’s siblings, to the children of your father’s brothers. (e.g. Japan, China, feudal Europe)
Patrilocality: When a son and his family lives with his parents.
Pros?Cons?
Marriage
Marriage cross-culturally:• 1 man + 1 woman almost
always an option but many societies also allow other forms of marriage:
Polyandry (rare) Polygyny (more common)
• Other possibilities: Same sex marriages Arranged marriages Etc.
Marriage is pretty much universal, but it’s difficult to define!
Marriage can:• establish children’s parentage• establish marriage participants’ exclusive right
to sex• give one spouse the right another spouse’s
labor and/or property• establish a joint fund of property for children • establish social ties between the spouses’
relatives• etc.
Examples:• Tibet• The Nuer - same
sex and “ghost” marriages allowed
• The Masai of East Africa - polygyny allowed
• Feudal Europe - arranged marriages
A masai elder with his wives and children.
Example: polyandry (1 woman, multiple husbands)
A polyandrous family in Nepal. The seated young woman is Terribal, age 15. She holds her youngest husband, age 5. Left of her is another husband, age 12 and behind her a third husband, age 9.
Divorce is found in most if not all societies, but the rules vary from society to society.
Factors that can influence divorce rate:• Are spouses financially independent?• Was bridewealth paid?• Will a woman lose her children if she
leaves?• Etc.