ch. 6

The Role of Employment in Defining Identity

• The modern emphasis on employment:
  • Many individuals define their identity predominantly through their jobs.
  • In the U.S., a common question when meeting someone is "What do you do?"
• Changing family dynamics:
  • Families are smaller and more mobile.
  • Two parents often work full-time, or single parents (mostly mothers) juggle multiple jobs while caring for children.

Family Structure and Mobility

• Historical context:
  • Traditionally, raising children was not isolated.
• Current American family ideals:
  • Families often consist of two parents with children, all living independently from other relatives.
  • Children are expected to leave home and start their own families, reinforcing independence.
• The cultural shift:
  • Those who remain with extended families often seen as outliers or failures in America.

Alternative Family Values: A Kiowa Perspective

• Discussion with Billy Evans Horse, a Kiowa:
  • Defined success as raising children who stay at home and care for their parents.
  • Critique of American values prioritizing independence over family connections.
• Global perspective:
  • Many cultures emphasize family ties as fundamental to personal identity and communal support.

Introducing Kinship

• Definition of kinship:
  • In anthropology, kinship is based on relationships by marriage and birth, constructed by cultural norms.
• Kiowa kinship system:
  • Recognizes both maternal and paternal lines as significant.
  • Terms like "cousins" can mean "brothers" or "sisters" within their community, showcasing familial closeness.

Complexity of Kiowa Kinship

• Expanded relationship terms:
  • Many Kiowa refer to numerous relatives in ways not seen in mainstream American culture (e.g., father's brothers called "fathers").
• Unique family dynamics:
  • The relationship dynamics indicate a communal approach to responsibilities and care beyond immediate family.

Unilineal vs. Bilateral Descent

• Bilateral descent:
  • Reckons kin on both maternal and paternal sides equally.
• Unilineal descent categories:
  • Patrilineal: kinship traced through males.
  • Matrilineal: kinship traced through females.
• Example of matrilineal societies:
  • Relatedness is centered around the mother’s lineage.

Responsibilities and Roles in Marriage

• Marriage and family duties:
  • Important social commitments extend beyond immediate family.
  • Responsibilities include child-rearing support from extended networks.
• Marriage practices around the world:
  • Sororate: remarrying within deceased wife's family.
  • Levirate: remarrying within deceased husband's family.

The Incest Taboo and Marriage Practices

• Understanding marriage structures:
  • The incest taboo restricts sexual relationships among closely related individuals.
  • Different cultural interpretations exist regarding marriageable kin.
• Traditional values in patrilineal societies:
  • Emphasize the production of male heirs and lineage continuation.

Social Structures through Marriage

• Kinship implications of marriage:
  • Marriages often strengthen social alliances and networks rather than just romantic relationships.
  • Bride service, bridewealth, and dowry practices maintain familial connections across generations.

Conclusion: Evolving Family Dynamics

• Modern family structure rapidly changes:
  • Smaller nuclear families shaped by global job markets.
  • Relationships and family definitions continuously evolve due to these changes, reflecting broader cultural shifts toward mobility and independence.