Anthropology Exam 3

What is marriage from an anthropological perspective?

A socially recognized relationship that establishes rights and responsibilities between spouses, families, and children

What makes up a family in anthropology?

A socially recognized group connected by kinship, marriage, descent, adoption, or other cultural definitions of relatedness.

Do all cultures define family the same way?

No

What is a nuclear family?

A family unit consisting of parents and their children

What is an extended family?

A family unit including relatives beyond parents and children, such as grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles.

What is an arranged marriage?

A marriage organized or influenced by families or social groups rather than based only on individual romantic choice

Why do arranged marriages still exist?

They can strengthen family alliances, protect inheritance/property, maintain traditions, provide economic stability, and connect social groups

What is a love marriage?

A marriage based primarily on individual choice and romantic attraction

What is descent?

The culturally recognized way people trace ancestry and family membership

What is patrilineal descent?

A descent system where ancestry and inheritance are traced through the father’s/male line

What is matrilineal descent?

A descent system where ancestry and inheritance are traced through the mother’s/female line

What is bilateral descent?

A descent system where ancestry is traced through both the mother’s and father’s sides

What is residence pattern?

The cultural rule for where a married couple lives after marriage

What is patrilocal residence?

A married couple lives with or near the husband’s family

What is matrilocal residence?

A married couple lives with or near the wife’s family

What is neolocal residence?

A married couple establishes a new household separate from both families

What is primogeniture?

An inheritance system where the oldest child (often oldest son) receives special inheritance rights

How can unilineal societies make exceptions for inheritance?

Through practices like primogeniture or changing someone’s social/gender role to allow them to inherit

What are parallel cousins?

Children of a parent’s same-sex sibling

What are cross-cousins?

Children of a parent’s opposite-sex sibling

Why might cross-cousin marriage be allowed while parallel cousin marriage is forbidden?

In some descent systems, parallel cousins are considered part of your own lineage like siblings, while cross-cousins belong to a different lineage

What is endogamy?

Marriage within a specific social group

What is exogamy?

Marriage outside a specific social group

Why might societies practice cousin endogamy?

To keep property, wealth, inheritance, or alliances within a family group

What is bridewealth?

Gifts, money, or resources given by the groom’s family to the bride’s family

What is a bride service?

A system where the groom works for the bride’s family as part of marriage arrangements

What is dowry?

Wealth or property transferred from the bride’s family to the bride, groom, or new household

What is polygamy?

A general term for having multiple spouses

What is polygyny?

A form of polygamy where one man has multiple wives

What is polyandry?

A form of polygamy where one woman has multiple husbands

Why does polyandry exist in some societies?

It can prevent land division, keep family property together, control population growth, and maintain household stability

Why do anthropologists study kinship?

Because kinship shows how cultures organize relationships, families, inheritance, social roles, marriage rules, and responsibilities

What is kinship?

A culturally defined system of relationships between people based on ideas of family, marriage, descent, or social connection

What is the difference between kinship and descent?

Kinship includes all culturally recognized relationships, while descent specifically focuses on ancestry and lineage

What is lineal kin?

Direct ancestors or descendants

What is collateral kin?

Relatives descended from the same ancestor but not in your direct line

What is affinal kin?

Relatives connected through marriage (spouse, in-laws)

Why do anthropologists use kinship abbreviations instead of words like aunt or uncle?

Because kinship terms differ between cultures; abbreviations avoid assuming all cultures define relatives the same way

What does EGO mean in a kinship chart?

The person whose perspective the kinship chart is based on

What are kinship calculation systems?

Cultural systems that determine how relatives are classified and what kin terms are used

What are the 6 major kinship systems?

Hawaiian, Eskimo (Inuit), Iroquois, Crow, Omaha, and Sudanese

What is Hawaiian kinship?

A system where relatives of the same generation and gender are grouped together

Why can Hawaiian kinship limit marriage choices?

Because many people are classified as close relatives, reducing who is considered an acceptable marriage partner

What culture was given as an example of Hawaiian kinship?

The Huichol culture

What is Eskimo/Inuit kinship?

A system emphasizing the nuclear family, with separate terms for everyone’s roles

What kind of societies commonly use Eskimo/Inuit kinship?

Societies where nuclear families are socially important, including many Western societies

What is Iroquois kinship?

A system that separates parallel cousins and cross-cousins, often associated with unilineal descent groups

What is Crow kinship?

A matrilineal kinship system where relatives on the mother’s side are emphasized

What is Omaha kinship?

A patrilineal kinship system where relatives on the father’s side are emphasized

What is Sudanese kinship?

The most descriptive system, where many relatives have specific, separate terms

What is the role of the mother’s brother in some matrilineal societies?

He may act as a social father figure and have responsibilities for his sister’s children

Why might an uncle function as a child’s “father” in some cultures?

Because family roles are culturally determined and not always based only on biological relationships

Why are terms like “mother,” “father,” “aunt,” and “uncle” considered culturally arbitrary?

Because different societies define and group family relationships differently