Overview

Kinship is one of the foundational topics in anthropology. It explains how societies organize themselves, define who is related to whom, and determine rights, obligations, and inheritance.

Core Idea

Kinship is not just biology; it is a cultural construction. Different societies have vastly different ways of classifying relatives (e.g., calling your father’s brother “father” or your mother’s sister “mother”).

Formal Definition (if applicable)

Descent Groups:

  • Patrilineal: Descent traced through the father’s line.
  • Matrilineal: Descent traced through the mother’s line.
  • Bilateral: Descent traced through both parents (common in Western societies).

Intuition

In the US, your “cousin” is the same relation whether on your mom’s or dad’s side. In some cultures, your “cross-cousin” (mother’s brother’s child) is a preferred marriage partner, while your “parallel cousin” (mother’s sister’s child) is considered a sibling and taboo to marry.

Examples

  • Iroquois Kinship: A system where a father and father’s brother are referred to by the same term, as are a mother and mother’s sister.
  • Clans: Large descent groups who claim a common (often mythical) ancestor.
  • Fictive Kinship: Treating non-relatives as family (e.g., godparents, “blood brothers”).

Common Misconceptions

  • “Kinship is natural/biological.” (It is a social system; adoption and marriage create kin just as biology does.)
  • “Matrilineal means matriarchal.” (Tracing descent through women doesn’t necessarily mean women hold political power.)
  • Exogamy/Endogamy: Rules about marrying outside or inside a specific group.
  • Lineage: A group demonstrating common descent from a known ancestor.
  • Nuclear vs. Extended Family: Different household structures.

Applications

  • Genetic Counseling: Understanding family histories and cultural views on inheritance.
  • Law: Defining legal heirs and custody rights.
  • Social Work: Navigating family dynamics in diverse communities.

Criticism / Limitations

Classic kinship studies were sometimes overly rigid and algebraic, ignoring the fluidity of actual social relations. “New Kinship Studies” focus more on how relatedness is practiced (e.g., through care and feeding) rather than just formal structures.

Further Reading

  • Fox, Kinship and Marriage
  • Schneider, A Critique of the Study of Kinship
  • Carsten, After Kinship