Chapter 10: Kinship and Social Organization

Kinship Concepts

• Kinship: Culturally defined relationships, not solely biological. Includes:
  • Consanguineal Relatives: Blood-related individuals on either side of the family.
  • Affinal Relatives: Related through marriage.
  • Fictive Kinship: Non-blood/marriage ties patterned like kin relations (e.g., godparents, adoption).

Functions of Kinship

• Ensures generational continuity and orderly transmission of rights and property.
• Membership in lineages, clans, and phratries is usually inherited and lifelong.
• Unilineal descent groups can own property jointly and function economically.
• In some societies, they also hold land, have political roles, and provide mutual aid.

Descent Systems

• Descent: Belief in shared ancestry.
• Unilineal Descent: Tracing descent through either the male or female line.
• Bilateral Descent: Recognizing both maternal and paternal relatives.

Types of Descent Groups

• Lineages: Multigenerational close relatives tracing back to a common ancestor.
• Patrilineage: Descent through the paternal line.
• Matrilineage: Descent through the maternal line.
• Clans: Larger kin groups claiming descent from a common but distant or mythical ancestor.
• Phratries: Even larger unilineal descent groups.

Kinship Terms and Diagrams

• Kin Terms: Words for specific relatives.
• Genealogical Kin Types: Biological relationships.
• Ego: The reference point in kinship diagrams.

Residence Rules

• Patrilocality: Residence in husband's community.
• Matrilocality: Residence in wife's community.

Case Studies

• Carpenter vs. US: Fictional ancestor concept.
• Owl Clan and Gators on Bears: Represents mythical ancestry.

Chapter 11: Marriage, Family, and Domestic Groups

Functions of Marriage

• Childcare and economic/cultural exchange.
• Primary social tie varies by society: marriage vs. kinship group.

Marriage Rules

• Incest Taboo: Generally prohibits sibling marriage; cultural rather than biological reasons.
• Exogamy: Marrying outside one's group.
• Endogamy: Marrying within one's group.
• Levirate and Sororate: Marrying deceased sibling's spouse.

Forms of Marriage

• Monogamy: One spouse at a time.
• Serial Monogamy: Multiple spouses sequentially.
• Polygamy: More than one spouse (includes polygyny and polyandry).
• Dowry: Gifts from wife's family to husband's family.
• Bridewealth: Gifts from husband's family to wife's family.

Chapter 12: Gender

Sex vs. Gender

• Sex: Biological differences between males and females.
• Gender: Cultural perceptions of roles and identities.
• Notable biological differences include size, strength, and longevity.

Gender Roles and Identity

• Gender Roles: Expectations and norms for behavior.
• Cisgender: Gender identity matches birth assignment.
• Transgender: Gender identity differs from birth assignment.
• Intersex: Biological discrepancy between external and internal genitals.

Work and Occupations

• Motherhood Wage Penalty: Economic impact on women due to motherhood.
• Comparable Worth: Equal pay for work of equal value.

Sexism

• Beliefs in the superiority of one sex over the other.
• Includes misandry (hatred of men) and misogyny (hatred of women).

Cultural Variations

• Examples include Australian Aboriginal male groups and societies in Trobiand Island, Samoa, and New Guinea.