Section 3 Flashcards
Kinship
Relationships through:
- Blood
- Marriage
- Fictive (adopted kids)
Unilineal descent
trace descent through a single line. 60% of lineages
Patrilineal descent
trace primary kin relationships through fathers (most common)
Matrilineal descent
people trace primary kin connections through mothers
-Woman’s brother plays the role similar to that of ‘fathers’ in our society
Bilateral descent
Tracing descent through both lines. Ex: United States
Eskimo system
Separate terms for nuclear family that aren’t used outside nuclear family. (what we have in US)
Hawaiian System
single term for all relatives of the same sex & generation
- 1/3 of all world’s societies
- My father, father’s brother, & mother’s brother would all be called “father”
- Fewer terms in this system
Marriage
1) Sexual union
2) Permanence
3) Common residence
Incest taboo
- The prohibition of sexual intimacy between close relatives
- Definition of ‘close relative’ varies
- Incest still occurs in many societies
- Universal
Exogamy
Should marry outside defined social/kin group
o Encourages ties with more families
Endogamy
Marry within defined social group
- Maintains or strengthens ties
Preferential cousin marriage
Preferred form of marriage between either parallel or cross cousins
Levirate
Man marries the widow of a deceased brother
Ex: India- have a high value placed on having male heirs
= social security for widow and kids
Sororate
Woman marries the husband of her deceased sister
Monogamy
only one spouse at a time
