ANTH1220 Week 9

Marriage

Affects both affinal and consanguineal relationships. It transforms the state of the participants, stipulates degree of sexual access, perpetuates social patterns, creates relationships, and is symbolically marked. Some cultures use marriage to creatively emphasize particular social relationships. Example: Nuer woman-woman marriage and nuer ghost marriages.

Endogamy

Marriage within a defined social group

Exogamy

Marriage outside a defined social group

Neolocal

A pattern of residence after marriage, residence is in a place of their own choosing. Found in most western nations, including Canada and the US

Patrilocal

A pattern of residence after marriage, residence is with or near the husband’s father’s family. Most common in herding and farming societies. Found in China and Turkey

Matrilocal

A pattern of residence after marriage, residence is with or near the family in which the wife was raised. Most common in horticultural groups. Found in the Iroquois, Hopi, Tlingit, etc.

Avunculocal

A pattern of residence after marriage, residence is with the husband’s mother’s brother. Found in matrilineal societies. Found in Chamorros, Taino of Turks, and Caicos Islands.

Ambilocal

A pattern of residence after marriage, residence is first with the family of one spouse and later with the family of the other. Eventually they choose which family they want to affiliate with permanently. Found in the Mbuti, and the democratic republic of the Congo, etc.

Duolocal

A pattern of residence after marriage, residence is that each partner lives with his or her own lineage even after marriage. Seen where lineage membership is the most important societal aspect. Found in the Nayar, and Minangkabau in indonesia

Monogamy

When a person only has one spouse

Polygamy

When a person is allowed to have more than one spouse

Polygyny

When a man has more than one wife, in muslim societies, its usually a polygyny, they can take up to 4 wives

Polyandry

When a woman has more than one husband, rarer than polygyny

Polygynandry

When multiple males are married with multiple females, it’s complicated

Bridewealth

The transfer of goods from the family of the groom to the family of the bride

Dowry

The tansfer of the bride’s share of the family wealth to the groom when she gets married. The womans share of inheritance

Whats the deal with dowry in India?

It has been illegal for many years in India due to abuses such as dowry violence

Family

Two or more people in an adaptable wsocial and economic alliance that involves kinship

Household

A group of individuals who live in the same residence and share socioeconomic needs

Nuclear family

Two parents and thier offspring living together. Only 25% of north americans currently live in such family

Extended family

When there are three or more generations are living together

Joint family

When a group of brothers and sisters live together with their children

Blended family

When any combination of a couple and their children, as well as children from previous marriages, and sometimes the children of these chidren are living together

Mende

An ethnic group from Sierra Leone who have a polygynous family/dynamic. They’re complex due to relationships between co-wives and half siblings

Ashanti

An ethnic group from Ghana where the most important male-female relationship is the brother-sister relationship

Families of choice

Intentional, non-biological kinship networks built on deep emotional bonds, mutual support, and love rather than legal or blood ties. They have evolved in many LGBTQ communities

What is the process of divorce of the Nuer?

Dissolving a marriage requires the return of the bridewealth cattle, prompting the wife's family to pressure her to remain in the marriage

What is the process of divorce of the Fulbe?

It is largely influenced by Islamic law to divorce, women often have to return the bridewealth

What are the grounds for divorce in Malawi?

Divorce is primarily granted based on fault-based grounds, including adultery, cruelty, and desertion

What are the grounds for divorce in Ju/’hoansi?

Grounds include: Laziness or failure to provide, adultery or jealousy, constant arguing, incompatibility abuse, mistreatment, infertility, and failure to fulfill marriage obligations. Divorce is relatively easy and not heavily stigmatized. Couples may separate and reconcile multiple times

Kinship

Refers to the selective interpretation of common human experiences, such as: How should group members be recruited? Where should people live? How should members of different generations relate to one another? How should we pass on our possessions and our social positions after we die?

Bilateral descent

A kinship system tracing family lineage and inheritance equally through both maternal and paternal sides. Equal descent from mother and father

Unilineal descent

A kinship system tracing family lineage and inheritance through only one parents side. Descent is traced through either the mother or the father but not both

Bilateral kinship

A family system where individuals trace their ancestry and recognize kinship equally through both the mother's and father's sides, it is flexible, but hard to mobilize people

Unilineal descent group

A patrilineage or matrilineage

Lineage

A group of people who think they can specify the relevant parent-child links that relate them. They have a corporate identity

Patrilineage

A line of descent traced exclusively through the male or paternal side of a family. Almost always a patriarchy/patriarchal, but rests on a paradox.

Matrilineage

A line of descent traced exclusively through the female or maternal side of a family. They’re not a matriarchy/matriarchical, but women tend to have more power

What are the (6) criteria in relating kin/kinship?

Generation, gender, affinity, collaterality, bifurcation, relative age, gender of linking relative

What are the six kinship patterns?

Crow, Omaha, Hawaii, Iroquois, Eskimo, Sudanese

All english speakers use which kinship pattern?

English speakers use the Eskimo kinship pattern

What is the most complex and simple kinship pattern?

Sudanese is the most complex, and hawaii is the most simple kinship pattern

Patrilateral cross-cousin marriage (FZD)

When a man marries his father’s sister’s daughter. It sets up a direct exchange system

Matrilateral cross-cousin marriage (MBD)

When a man marries his mother’s brother’s daughter. It sets up an assymetrical exchange system, it makes a permanent alliance between the two groups

Ascribed positions

Positions that are assigned at birth

Achieved positions

Positions that are acquired later. Kinship positions can turn ascribed positions into achieved ones through adoption

Adoption is common in which group of people?

It is common with the Inuit people.

Genealogical method

A research technique used to study kinship