Kinship & Family

Unit Learning Objectives

• Differentiate between nuclear & extended families.

• Distinguish between family orientation & family procreation.

• Define and differentiate between kinds of descent groups and postmartial residence rules.

• Differentiate between lineages an clans

• Differentiate between genealogical kin types and kin terms.

• Demonstrate your understanding of kinship diagrams through an activity.

Kinship (a.k.a) ‘Basic Building Block of Society’

• Basic principle of organizing individuals into ______________________________

• Considerable _______________________

Terms of Unit• Descent Group

• Group based on belief in _______________

• ______________________

• Members – ______________________

• Extended Family Household

• Household with _______________

Terms of Unit• Matrilineal

• Form of descent in which individuals trace their ____________________________________

• Patrilineal

• Form of descent in which individuals trace their ____________________________________

• Most common form

Matrilineal Descent

Patrilineal Descent

Differences Between Patrilineal and Matrilineal

Descent GroupsPatrilineal Matrilineal

______

Give birth to husband’s

descendants; play minimal role in their own group

Play a central role in their own group by bearing their own

descendants

______ Strong authorityWeak in marital

household; strong in household of his sister

Differences Between Patrilineal and Matrilineal

Descent GroupsPatrilineal Matrilineal

______ High status Relatively low status

______

Characterized by deference,

strong authority and formality

Relatively weak authority and general

informality

Differences Between Patrilineal and Matrilineal

Descent GroupsPatrilineal Matrilineal

______ Strong Relatively weak

______ Typically patrilocal Typically matrilocal

Terms of Unit• Family of Orientation

• __________________________

• Family of Procreation

• ______________________________

Nuclear Family – widespread BUT NOT universal

Muslims of Western Bosnia

• Nuclear families lack _______________

• Several families in an ______________, or zadruga.

• Each zadruga is headed by a _____________________

• Zadrugas are __________________

• Each nuclear family has its own sleeping room

• All material possessions shared among all members

Nayar of Southwest India

• Large, extended matrilineal families that live in matrilineal compounds, or tarawads.

• Each tarawad is headed up by a _________________

• Marriage a ______________

• Men return to their mother’s tarawad a few days after marriage

• Nayar women frequently have __________________

• _________________________________________

Descent GroupsGeneral features:

• Exogamous

• ___________________________

• Unilineal descent

• Tracing descent through a ________

•_________ OR ___________

Lineages & Clans

• Lineage:

• Unilineal descent group based on ______________

• Clans:

• Unilineal descent group based on _______________

Common Theme in both:

_____________

Ancestor – Why?

• Social unity & identity of the members

• _________________________

• Apical ancestor in both lineages & clans

• Apex of _________________

• Clan ancestors are commonly non-human ______

Betsileo of Madagascar

• 1.

• 2.

Descent Groups & Postmarital Residence Patterns

• ________________________________

• Why study? Gives rise to various ____________

• Cross-cultural research results: 6 common patterns

Common Forms

• Patrilocal – ___________________________

• ~70% of all societies – predominant pattern

• Matrilocal – _________________________

• ~13% of all societies – predominant pattern

Common Forms

• Ambilocal – __________________

• Bilocal – __________________

• Neolocal – __________________

• Avunculocal – __________________

Account for ~17% of all societies