/" width="695" height="1066" useMap="#Map">
Introduction
to Cultural Anthropology
SOC401
VU
Lesson
14
RELEVANCE
OF KINSHIP AND DESCENT
Kinship
Defined
Kinship
is the single most
importantsocial structure in
allsocieties. Kinship is
based on both
consanguineal
(blood)and
affinal (marriage) relations or even
fictive ties
(adoption,godparents).
Functions
of Kinship
VerticalFunction:
Kinshipsystems
provide socialcontinuity by
binding together a number of
generations
HorizontalFunction:
Kinshipsprovide
social solidarityand
continuity within the same generation as
well.
Cultural
Rules Regarding Kinship
Kinshipsystems
group relatives intocertain
categories and call them by the
same name andbehave
with
them
in a similar manner. Yet
how particular cultures categorize
relativesvaries according to
different
principles
of classification.
Kinship
Criteria
Differentsocieties
use differentrules in
formulating kinshipties.
Some of theseare:
Generation-
uncles are in onegeneration,
cousins in another
Gender-
cousins do not occupy gender
determined kin categories
Lineality
kin of a single line,
i.e.son, father,
grandfather
Consanguineality
kin through a linking relative (wife's
brother)
RelativeAge
one kinship term forfather's
older brother another for
his younger
brother(e.g.
tayaand
chacha)
Gender
of Connecting Relative
using different kinshipterms
for the father's brother's
daughter
hissister's
daughter
Social
Conditions
differentkinship
terms for a married or an unmarried
bother
Side
of the Family
different kinship terms
forfather's and mother's
sides of the family
(e.g.
phuphoand
khala)
Rules
of Descent
Rules
of descent enable the affiliation of
people with different sets of
kin, for example:
Patrilineal
descent affiliates a
person with the kin of the
father
Matrilinealdescent
affiliates a
person with the kin of the
mother
Ambilinealdescent
permits
an individual to affiliate with either
parent's kin group
Consanguinealversus
AffinalKin
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/" width="695" height="1066" useMap="#Map">
Introduction
to Cultural Anthropology
SOC401
VU
Somesocieties
make a distinction in kinship
categories based on whether people are
related by blood
(consanguinealkin) or
through marriage (affinalkin).
Forexample, take the difference
between a sister and
a
sister-in-law
or a brother and a
brother-in-law.
ComparingDescent
Groups
Patrilineal
descent groups are most
common around the world. The relations
between man and wife tend
to
be
more fragile in matrilineal
societies.
UsefulTerms
Unilinealdescent:
tracingdescent
through a singleline (such
as matrilineal or patrilineal) as compared
to
bothsides
(bilateral decent|)
Bilateral:
able
to accommodate
two-sidessimultaneously
Matrineally:mother's
side of the family
Patrineally:
father'sside
of the family
Prevalent:commonamongst
many
Kinship:relationship
Merging:integration
SuggestedReadings
Studentsare
advised to read the following
chapters to develop a better understanding of the
various
principals
highlighted in this hand-out:
Chapter
10 in `CulturalAnthropology:
An Applied Perspective' by Ferrarro
and/or Chapter 21 in `Anthropology'
by
Emberand
Pergrine
Internet
Resources
In
addition to reading from the
textbook, please visit the
following web-pages for this
lecture, which
provideuseful
and interesting information:
Kinship
Terms
www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/kinship/terms.html
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