Kinship, Marriage and the Family

What is one reason why anthropologists are interested in this area based on cultural variations?

As who does and doesn't count as a relative is incredibly varied across the globe,

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In kinship diagrams and symbols, what/ who is the ego?

The ego is the person whose view is being represented,

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Why does studying the family really matter based on a debate within anthropology?

As kinship and marriage is a topic which links issues of biology with issues of culture,

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What is another reason why studying the family matters based on functions?

As in many societies, kinship serves crucial functions,

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Give an example of how kinship links help explain the layout of a Turkish Peasant village?

Kinship links are made through patrilineal links, or through the father, which helps to explain the layout of houses as neighbours are also relatives,

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What are the two different basic approaches to kinship?

1) It has a function in all societies, 2) It has an internal and sometimes very complicated structure

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What is the aim of much anthropological research on kinship systems?

To understand what their function is in specific societies,

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In many human groups, what is kinship the basis of?

It is the basis for the organisation of the whole society

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Some kinship systems are so complex that only what can analyse them?

Computer programmes

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Often where have the most complicated kinship systems emerged from?

Societies with the simplest material technologies e.g. Aboriginal Australians,

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In many societies what is organised via kinship links?

Large numbers of activities

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Give some examples of these activities that are organised around kinship?

-Religious activities, -Economic activities, -Government, -Legal redress,

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In many parts of the world why is an understanding of how the kinship system works essential?

AS you cannot understand how societies work without it,

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IS there one way in which relatives are classified?

Per society yes but overall in the world there are a wide variety of ways,

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What are the three ways kinship groups are organised and classified?

-Links through the male line, -Links through the female line, -Links through both male and female lines

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How do Europeans classify relatives?

Through both male and female links,

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How far is biology a basis for kinship?

It has a biological basis, but in many societies some aspects of the kinship ignore the biological aspects and make social considerations dominants,

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Give an example when producing children when biology basis are overturned by social considerations?

For example, with children who are produced through a surrogate mother or donor father, they are descendants of the female's husband and the mother who provided her eggs,

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Where in Northern Tanzania is there a practical old age tradition that involves marriage and women and what is it?

In the Tarime district of the Mara region, -Women marrying other women,

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What is this family structure called?

Nyumba Nthobu

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What is this traditional practical for many women?

Since women cannot pass on property in their on right except to sons, women who have lost their husbands and have no sons can marry another woman to produce sons for her,

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Therefore, what is important about marriage in this society?

Producing children rather than sex,

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What does this also show about the importance of marriage based on the household and support?

A household as a complete economic unit cannot be easily run by on adult, and so marriage provides the necessary support for this

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Why do most anthropologists claim marriage is a human universal?

AS the great majority of societies world wide have some way of 'officially' recognising a permanent or semi-permanent pairing of a male and female

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However, give an example society where this is not the case in India? How is kinship dealt with?

-The Nayar, -Traditionally the Nayar don't have a marriage system and kinship goes through the female line,

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What is also not universal based on pairings?

We have also see that the pairing of males and females isn't universal,

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Therefore, what should we ask rather than what is the function of marriage?

We should actually ask what are the functions of marriage,

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For one function of marriage, what does it formalise?

It formalises a sexual relationship

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However, why is this problematic?

AS sex can and does occur outside of marriage, and it is not mandatory in some marriages,

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What is another function of marriage based on children?

It produces children to be members of the next generation,

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While children can be produced outside of marriage, what does marriage ensure and why?

It ensures that the children are recognised as 'belonging' to the kin group, -AS social constructs of kinship trump biology

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Give an example of sociol constructions overcoming biology with ghost marriages?

When a woman marries the brother of her dead husband, his ghost is the legal father of any children

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What is another function of marriage based on recognition?

Marriage marks a formal recognition of a new relationship between the families of the two partners,

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What is another function of marriage based on labour divisions?

It allows for the division of the household's labour for all the tasks required e.g. domestic tasks, farming,

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What are the two ways to analyse kinship systems?

1) Descent, 2) Alliance,

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What is descent as a way of analysing kinship systems?

It is the perpetuation and continuation of a kin group over time e.g. through marriage and who is related to whom in any generation,

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These concerns about descent are also important in defining what and some examples?

-Property rights, -E.g. use and exploitation of property, ownership of property and inheritance issues,

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What is alliance as a way of analysing kinship systems?

Alliance is the way in which people organise marriage links within a given generation,

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WHy is marriage called an alliance?

AS marriage is more than just a man and a woman setting up a house together, but it is also a close connection between two previously separate families,

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From the point of view of descent, how would anthropologists look at royal families?

They would look at how marriage primarily legitimises the offspring who would continue the royal line into following generations

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Give a historical example with the man who had many wives?

Henry VIII's many marriages related to his concern to produce a legitimate male heir to continue the Tudor line,

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From the view point of alliance, how would anthropologists study royal family kinships?

They might primarily study royal families as units in a series of complex alliances binding together various countries

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How can royal children be used in marriage and an example?

They can be used as strategic alliances. For example, Queen Victoria married her many children to Princes of different countries for alliances,

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Humans have what when ordering group-formation and examples?

They have a choice of different courses they can take e.g. Mating arrangements, succession to status and roles etc,

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Do all humans do the same things with the basic bonds arising out of what processes?

-No humans don't all do the same thing, -Processes such as mating, child bearing and child rearing

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Therefore what does the study of kinship simplify down to based on what humans do?

It simplifies to considering what humans do with the basic facts of life and how they organise them,

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Due to the process of adaptation, what are the four basic principles humans have come to terms with about the 'facts of life'?

1) Women have the children, 2) Men impregnate the woman, 3) Men usually exercise control, 4) Primary kin don't mate,

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However, in relation to humans, what is part of their evolutionary success based on kinship?

Our ability to manipulate basic social relationships, including those associated with biological readiness, to advantage,

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For example. kinship systems generally have an important function where?

In the wider organisation of societies,

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For example, what is a key differences between kinships across cultures?

Who counts as a blood kin and who doesn't,

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Give an example of western Europe?

We have hundreds of blood kin whom we don't recognise or even know,

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For the relationship between kinship and biology, what is western opinion from who about parents involvement in child creation?

-Western opinion from science, -Both parents contribute equally to the creation of a child,

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Is this belief universal? How does it differ?

It is not universal, -In different societies, either the mother or father may be considered largely or entirely responsible for conception

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What is an argument suggesting it is the father's responsibility?

The mother's womb is merely the incubator of the child,

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What is an argument suggesting it is the mother's responsibility?

The father simply opens up the passage to the womb,

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Therefore, what kinds of parenthood must we differentiate between?

We must differentiate between social and biological parenthood,

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In anthropology, which is more important?

Social kinship is more important than biological kinship,

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What type of family do cultural anthropologists claim is the 'universal' unit of human society?

The nuclear or conjugal family

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However, is this the case in the modern era?

No, -While there are many nuclear families, overall this is not universal and many different family types exist,

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FOr example, what kind of families can Native American chiefs have?

A polygyny which means a series of mother-child units with a male circulating them,

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In contrast to the belief a nuclear family is needed, what does what anthropologist argue is not essential?

-Robin Fox, -Even a semi-permanent liaison between a male and female isn't essential,

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What relationship does Robin Fox argue is the essential unit and why?

Mother and her child, -As they have to survive for the species to survive,

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As humans are social species, who could take over the biological father's associated role with mother and child?

The tribe/ group as a whole for care and protection of them,

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Therefore, where the nuclear family exists, why would it be there?

For good reason e.g. For providing a specific function in each society rather than being just 'natural',

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For the question of if this group cant continue itself over time, what happens once the mother is past child-bearing age?

Brothers and sisters are the basic group to be perpetuated,

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What are two ways new members will be created?

1)The group's women have the children who will inherit the property, 2) Men beget children,

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However, what is the problem with this when involving just the immediate group?

It runs into the incest taboo,

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Therefore, what must sister do and how does she get this?

They need to be impregnated by other males, -Other arrangements with other groups will be needed

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What can these arrangement lead to? Although what is only needed?

They may or may not lea to permanent liaisons, -Although the impregnation of the females is the minimum service required,

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What is the brothers role?

To perform the same service to other females of other groups,

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What tribe in India use this system and has it worked?

Nayars, -It seemed to work, although it died out some time ago,

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What are the three corresponding features to Fox's ideas?

1) Brothers and sisters live together in large compounds, 2) Sisters had children via liaisons with visiting lovers from outside the group, 3) Brothers held control of the property but impregnated other women,

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In the Nayar system, how is kinship determined?

It runs only through the femae line- A matrilineal kinship system,

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What is another solution to the group's member problem?

The children of the brother's should be members of the group, and so must bring in women as wives,

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What are unilineal descent groups?

They are kinship links worked out entirely through either the male or female line,

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However, in many societies, how is kinship worked out and what is the name of this?

-Through both the male and female line, -Bilateral kinship systems and cognatic societies,

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What does bilateral descent mean for relations?

Everyone is a member of both his or her father's and mother's families,

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What is fictive kinship?

A series of social ties, cuturally determined but not based upon blood or marriage,

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Give some examples of ways to gain fictive kinship?

Adoption, Christian baptismal sponsorship (Or Godparents),

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In these social institutions, what are the rules of kinship?

They often obey many if not all of the rules of 'biological' kinship e.g. unrelated aunts, Uncles,

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What is the taboo rule with these fictive kinships?

There is still prohibition on marriages between members of a family in which there is a godparent and so the same for biological kin even if there is no relation,

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To conclude, what has been decided about marriage and functions?

Marriage has many different functions,

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Is sex between partners necessary?

Sex is often normal between partners but not necessary,

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What is perhaps the most crucial function of marriage?

A social fact involved in the production of new socially recognised members of the group, even if both parents are not biologically involved in procreation

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What part of Fox's system places limits on how to find suitable partners for group membership?

The incest taboo,

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Kinship, Marriage and the Family

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