Culture is Kinship: How do you relate? Learned - not in our genes! - - PDF document

1

Kinship: How do you relate?

January 23, 2006

Culture is…

Learned - not in our genes! Patterned, unconscious Shapes perceptions, behaviors AND

what we think is NATURAL!

Society vs. Culture

Culture is the “stuff” Society is the arena

Tool Kit Terms

Ethnocentrism Cultural Relativism EMIC: INSIDE ETIC: OUTSIDE

Culture is NOT

Static Unchanging Firmly bounded Agreed upon by all practitioners

2

Culture is:

Super-individual Super-organic Learned!

A typical American Family An American Family

Daughter: Cindy Son: Bobby Daughter: Jan Son: Pete Daughter: Cindy Son: Greg Mom: Carol Dad: Mike

Can Cindy marry Bobby?

Who takes care of Alice?

Kinship is:

Basic principle of social organization Primarily social, not biological Determines who you love Determines many of kinds of social relations Influences who you support

(financial,emotional)

Influences who you marry, who are your

ancestors

3

Terms

Kinship Terms -- e.g., “uncle” Biological Kin Types -- e.g., “mother’s

brother,” father’s brother”

Fictive Kin Equivalent Kin Consanguines Affines

Descent

Unilineal – From one side only

– Matrilineal – Patrilineal

Bilineal – From both sides Ambilineal – From either side

Matrilineal Descent Patrilineal Descent

4

Eskimo Kinship Eskimo Kinship

F M U A A U A U U A C C C C B Me S C C C C

Hawaiian Kinship

1 2 1 2 2 1 2 1 1 2 3 4 3 4 3 Me 4 3 4 3 4

Sudanese Kinship

1 2 5 3 4 6 13 15 9 11 7 Me 8 10 12 14 16

Locality

Who you live with Neolocality – in industrial and foraging

societies

Virilocal Uxorilocal

Focality

Which line exhibits strongest influence. Not of individual, but of general social

pattern!!!!

Patrifocal Matrifocal

5

The Natural Nuclear Family?

Changes in US Family, Household

1970 Married/kids 40% 3.1 person/household 20 % 5 or more Single people 17% 56 mil families female 12 mil families male 44 % families no kids under

18 at home

1995 Married/kids 25% 2.6 person/household 10 % 5 or more Single people 25% 122 mil families female 32 mil families male 51 % families no kids under

18 at home

American Families Through T.V.

50’s – Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best 60’s – The Courtship of Eddy’s Father 70’s – Brady Bunch, Eight is Enough, Alice,

Happy Days, The Odd Couple, One Day at a Time

80’s – My Two Dads 90’s – Married with Children, Will and Grace 00’s – Queer Eye for Straight Guy, Friends,

“L” Word

Quiz 2 Quiz 2

• T/F Emic is the Outsider’s perspective.
• The fact that a baby adopted from China can

grow up American shows that culture is super________?

• The American kinship system is called____?
• The social kin term in America for father’s

brother’s wife is______?

• T/F In a matrilineal kin system, my father would

not be consider part of my family.