Ross Flashcards
Kinship
Kinship is the most universal and basic of all human relationships and is based on ties of blood, marriage or adoption.
Kinship is complex as there is no easy way to keep up with family and how one is related.
What is kinship?
“Kinship usually refers to the descent group. It can be unilineal (patri- or matrilineal) or cognatic/ bilateral. Western Societies are based on a cognatic principle, although the patrilateral aspect has been given some priority” (Eriksen: 2004:109)
* Unilinear descent: kinship is determined through ONE line of descent - either patrilineal or matrilineal (e.g. clans)
* Cognatic / Bilateral descent: kinship is determined through BOTH lines of descent - patrilineal AND matrilineal.
Why study kinship?
*Early anthropologists studied ‘tribes’ in far away places; when studying these tribes, kinship served as a crucial organising factor in society (inheritance, access to land, power, etc)
* Anthropologists wanted to understand kinship because it was critical to understanding how ‘primitive’ societies function and how civilised societies have changed.
* Evolutionary theories = ‘primitive societies’ are organised along kinship lines vs civilised societies organised along complex institutional, legal lines.
* Helped to understand structural functionalism
How are we related to people?
- Consanguinity (same blood)
- Affinal relations (related by marriage)
- Both options involve some form of physicality/biology
-> In this case, kinship is a means of signifying relatedness through biology.
Drawing a Kinship Diagram
Woman = CIRCLE
* Man = TRIANGLE
* Married = DOUBLE LINE
* Dead = LINE THROUGH SYMBOL
* EGO in centre
* Siblings = line
* Divorced = Double Line with line through
*** anthropologists use kinship charts
Critique of classic kinship studies
- The neglect of gender
- Kinship centred around heterosexual relations and reproduction
- Anthropologists no longer study far-away tribes
- Western societies are also organised along kinship lines
- Power and politics are NOT separated from kinship in complex human civilisations:
What do we study kinship today?
- To understand how people organise and understand their most intimate relationships
- To understand what are the forces which effect the building and maintenance of these
relationships - To understand how are families constructed beyond the boundaries of blood and biology
kinship in society
Kinship has a heavy emphasis on procreation and biology
* Mother, father and child are basic unit, expanded further on
* Biological relations as a way to identify and order social relations
* Kinship in ‘stateless’ societies
* Anthropologists believe that kinship is what keeps society together if there is
no government
* Kingship ties to mariage, inheritance, worship ad land
* “The essence of kinship is interpretation of genealogy, rather than genealogy itself”
* Remains important as we as social scientists examine kinship as it plays a major role in how society is run
Summary of Raw Life, New Hope
In Fiona C. Ross’s book “Raw Life, New Hope,” she explores the decency, housing, and everyday life in a post-apartheid community. The residents of The Park, a community under post-apartheid social reforms, faced challenges in establishing and maintaining familial and household relationships. The process of moving to new state-subsidized housing required residents to navigate eligibility criteria based on relationships rather than biological relatedness. Residents grappled with the complexities of defining who ‘counted’ as family and how to count them in the context of historical processes shaping kinship ties. The state’s housing subsidies aimed to accommodate diverse relationship forms, but discrepancies between residents’ and state definitions led to decision-making challenges for residents. Additionally, the concept of kinship in The Park was primarily understood in biological terms but reflected in various surprising ways, with examples like children being raised by non-biological relatives. The book delves into the complexities of relationships, eligibility, and family dynamics in The Park community post- apartheid.
Summary of Raw Life, New Hope
RELATIONSHIPS IN THE PARK COMMUNITY
The residents of The Park faced challenges in establishing and sustaining familial and household relationships in the post-apartheid era. Decisions about who would qualify for state-subsidized housing often depended on the complex web of relationships within the community. The state’s housing subsidies required applicants to demonstrate dependency relations based on legal and economic criteria, leading to discrepancies between resident and state definitions of family. Residents often had to navigate the blurred lines of biological and chosen family relationships, highlighting the challenges of defining who ‘counted’ as family members in The Park community.
Summary of Raw Life, New Hope
KINSHIP DYNAMICS IN THE PARK
In The Park community, kinship dynamics were primarily understood in biological terms but manifested in surprising ways. Residents often found themselves in situations where children were raised by non-biological relatives, leading to unique classifications of family relationships. The book discusses examples of unconventional kinship arrangements, such as children being taken in by relatives due to various circumstances. The complexities of defining kinship in The Park shed light on the diverse and context-dependent nature of family relationships in the post-
Summary of Raw Life, New Hope
FAMILY DYNAMICS
The text discusses the complex family dynamics that often occur in South African communities, particularly among teenage mothers. It mentions how children born to teenage mothers are sometimes raised by their grandmothers, who take on the role of the mother. This creates a social pact where the biological relationships are sometimes hidden or altered for the sake of social recognition. The text also highlights how siblings may have different classifications for their surrounding kin, based on their relationships with their parents.
Summary of Raw Life, New Hope
ROLE OF MEN IN ACKNOWLEDGING CHILDREN
The text also explores how men’s acknowledgement of children from prior relationships plays a significant role in determining their inclusion in the family. It notes that in cases where men refuse to accept children from their partner’s previous relationships, women are left with the difficult choice of either giving up their children, abandoning them, or engaging in subterfuge to support them. The text emphasizes the impact of men’s preparedness to acknowledge a woman’s sexual and reproductive past on the familial dynamics and care of children.
Summary of Raw Life, New Hope
GROOTMAAK KINDERS
The concept of “grootmaak kinders” or children being “grown up” by adults who are not biologically related is also discussed. These children sometimes hold the same rights in households as biological children over time. The text provides an example of a child named Meitjie who was cared for by her mother’s partner and later by his sister, despite not being biologically related to them. It illustrates how the social institution of “grootmaak” involves taking responsibility for the life of another, regardless of biological ties.
Summary of Raw Life, New Hope
MARITAL RELATIONSHIPS AND RESPECTABILITY
Lastly, the text touches on the complexities that arise in marital relationships in terms of defining family dynamics. It discusses how interpretations of subsidies and societal perceptions of respectability can impact relationships and the inclusion of children within families. The text illustrates these complexities through the story of Mem, who moved between different homes of friends and eventually set up a home with her lover, highlighting the fluidity and challenges of defining familial relationships within the context of marriage and respectability.
