Table of Contents

Kinship studies: alliance and decent approach

Table of Contents

Theoretical overview

KINSHIP

Man does not live alone in society. From birth till death he is surrounded by a number of people. Some of these people are his relatives, some are friends, some are neighbours while all others are strangers and unknown to him. He is bound to all those people who are related to him either on the basis of blood or marriage The relations based on blood or marriage may be close or distant.

Meaning of Kinship

The bond of blood or marriage which binds people together group is called kinship. According to the Dictionary of Anthropology kinship system includes socially recognized  relationships based supposed as well as actual genealogical ties. These relationships are the result of social interaction and recognized by society.

Types of Kinship

Affinal Kinship: The bond of marriage is called affinal kinship. When a person marries, he establishes relationship not only with the girl whom he marries but also with a number of other people in the girl’s family. Moreover, it is not only the person marrying who gets bound to the family members of the girl but his family members also get bound to the family members of the girl. For example, after marriage a person becomes not only a husband, but he also becomes brother-in-law and son-in-law. Here it may he noted that in English language a number of relations created by marriage are referred to by the same term. Thus, the same term ‘brother- in-law’ is used for bahnoi, sala, jija and saddu. On marria a person also becomes foofa, nandoi and mausa. Likewise a girl on marriage becomes not only a wife but also becomes daughter-in-law, she also becomes chachi, bhabhi, devrani, jethani, mami etc. Thus, marriage creates a host of relations which are called affinal kin.

Consanguinous Kinship: The bond of blood is called consanguinous kinship. The consanguinous kin are related through blood whereas the affinal kin are related thro marriage. The bond between parents and their children that between siblings is consanguinous kinship. Siblings are the children of the same parents. Thus, son, brother, sister. uncle chacha, elder uncle too, nephew and cousins are consanguinous kins, ie. related through blood. 

Kinship approaches

  • Alliance theory, also known as a general theory of exchanges is a structuralist method of studying kinship relations.
  • It was given by e French structuralist Claude Levi-Strauss (in Elementary structures of kinship 1949) to understand the basic questions about inter-individual relations.
  • Levi Strauss visualized marriage as a system of exchange. In this system of exchange women are considered the most valuable goods.
  • According to him alliance is a relationship, a durable bond or a series of bonds that come into being between two groups following a marriage.
  • Alliance theory was quite popular during the 1960s and went on to be discussed and deliberated till the 1980s where the issue of incest taboo was taken up by not only anthropologists but also by psychologists, political philosophers etc.

Descent Theory

  • Descent theory was given by Mayor Fortis.
  • Study of descent and descent groups to understand not only kinship but also the network of social relations will flow through point of analysis descent groups.
  • According to descent theory starting is the family; family includes parents from two descent groups.
  • Descent theory also known as lineage theory 
  • Families combine to form different descent groups namely lineage, clan, phratry and moiety.
  • According to descent theory six possible avenues are there for transmission of descent membership from parents to children:- (i) Patrilineal (ii) Matrilineal (iii) Double Descent (iv)Cognatic (bilateral) (v) Parallel (vi)Cross or Alternative.
  • This theory was in much demand in the discussion of social structure in British anthropology after the 2nd World War.

Functions of Kinship

Kinship usages accomplish two major tasks.

 First, they create groups special groupings of kin. Thus, marriage assigns each mother husband, and makes her children his children, thereby creating a special group of father, mother and children, which we call “family”. 

The second major function of kinship usage is to govern the role relationships between kin; that is, how one kinsman should behave in particular kinsman’s

Points to remember

  • Study of descent and descent groups to understand not only kinship but also the network of social relations will flow through point of analysis descent groups.
  • According to descent theory starting is the family; family includes parents from two descent groups.
  • alliance is a relationship, a durable bond or a series of bonds that come into being between two groups following a marriage.
  • The bond of blood or marriage which binds people together group is called kinship.

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