Marriage and Sex as a Social Practice in the Human Culture: Introduction to the Problem
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Marriage and Sex as a Social Practice in the Human Culture: Introduction to the Problem Lolita Nikolova References: . . 2005 Haviland W et al ., Nikolova L Anthropology of Everydayness (in preparation for print) and references cited there
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Marriage and Sex as a Social Practice in the Human Culture: Introduction to the Problem. References: Haviland W. et al. 2005 Nikolova L., Anthropology of Everydayness (in preparation for print) and references cited there. Lolita Nikolova. Marriage. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Marriage and Sex as a Social Practice in the Human Culture: Introduction to the Problem
Marriage and Sex as a Social Practice in the Human Culture: Introduction to the Problem
Lolita NikolovaReferences:
Haviland W. et al. 2005
Nikolova L., Anthropology of Everydayness (in preparation for print) and references cited there
Marriage
Marriage is backed by social, legal, and economic forces. Monogamy is the most common form of marriage, primarily for economic reasons.In most of the world, marriage is not based on romantic love, but on economic considerations.
Sexual Relations
Every society has rules that govern sexual access.Among primates, the human female is unusual in her ability to engage in sexual activity whether she is fertile or not.In the human culture the sex is not a biological but a cultural phenomenon (it is an element of the complex relationships between humans and have positive and negative aspects)Sexual relationships depend on: age, sex, social status, religious beliefs, enculturation, human psyche, etc.
Marriage
FORMS
MonogamyPolygynyPolyandryGroup marriage
RULES
Endogamy is marriage within a group of individuals.
Exogamy is marriage outside the group.
Marriage, complexity and rites of passage
COMPLEXITYDifferentiation IntegrationSpecialization
RITES OF PASSAGESeparation Initiation (Transition)Integration
MARRIAGE SOCIAL COMPLEXITY RITES OF PASSAGE
Marriage and cultural process
Social agents (actors) Marriage function: Specialization
Successful (biological and social reproduction)
Unsuccessful (separation, divorce, re-marriage)
oppositionA B
A B
C
A
B
C
D
three-agent model four-agent model
Two agent model
Ethnography: Marriage Exchanges
Bride-price - payment of money from the groom’s to the bride’s kin.Bride service - the groom is expected to work for a period for the bride’s family. Dowry - payment of a woman’s inheritance at the time of marriage to her or her husband.
Serial Monogamy
A form of marriage in which a man or woman marries a series of partners. Increasingly common among middle-class North Americans as individuals divorce and remarry.
Divorce
Factors contributing to divorce: Many marriages are based on ideals of romantic love or the idealization of youth.Establishing an intimate bond in a society in which people are taught to seek individual gratification is difficult.
