Solving the Problem of Cooperation

Kinship and Descent

Genealogical Space

… everyone related to ego (an individual).

Kindred

…that space that contains all human beings

The Last Judgment Hieronymus Bosch

Out of the vast number of human beings, represented by The Last Judgment by Hieronymus Bosch, only a few do we recognize as our relatives. This Module deals with how we study those systems that determine who our relatives are: Kinship Systems

Genealogical Space is that space that contains all human beings. It’s conventional to fill this space with symbols that represent:

Males

Females

Marriageaffinal

Descentconsanguineal

Generationconsanguineal

Concerning the matter of relatives:

consanguineal -“blood” relatives

affinal - relatives by marriage

term of address - use when talking to someone

term of reference – use when talking about someone

Kinship and Descent

These are Cultural Universals…

relatives

Kinship and Descent

The investigation of kinship terminology begins with a distinction between kin types and kin terms. Kin types refer to the basic uncategorized relationships that anthropologists use to describe the actual contents of kinship categories. They are supposedly culture free, etic components. Kin terms are the labels for categories of kin that include one or more kin types. They are emic structures and vary across cultures.

Kin Types Primary components and letter symbols

Mother [M]

Father [F]

Sister [Z]

Brother [B]

Daughter [D]

Son [S]

Husband [H]

Wife [W]

Typical Kinship Chart

Rules of Descent

Bilateral

UnilinealMatrilineal

Patrilineal

Parallel

Ambilineal

Cognatic “Double Descent”

Bilineal

Eskimo Kinship

Bilineal descent

Similar to “American” system

Matrilineal descentCrow, Trobriand Islanders, Navajo

Patrilineal descentOmaha, Bakhtiari, Nuer, Traditional China

Rules of Residence

Neolocal

Matrilocal

Patrilocal

Ambilocal

Associated with bilineal descent

Associated with bilineal descent

Associated with matrilineal descent

Associated with patrilineal descent

Lineage - descent group w/common ancestor

Fission - splitting of group

Clan - same as lineage w/o known common ancestor (Mendi of New Guinea)

Totemism - relation to common ancestral spirit

Phratry - two or more clans w/common ancestor

Moiety - half of a society divided by descent

Kindred - consanguineal relatives of single individual