Anthropologists Class Note | Austin College

University:
Austin College
Course:
SSCI 250 | Intermediate Topics in Social Science
Academic year:

2023
Views:

238

Pages:

1
Author:

martindbroli

Anthropologists Anthropologists can be described as a central organizing principle in human societies. Kinship refers to connections between people formed through lines of ancestry or marriage. This paper examines anthropological research on kinship structures in various societies and significant debates about their beginnings and roles. Studies of small-scale societies are biological relationships are universal, cultural norms shape social categories like parenthood and family organization in different ways (Stone, 2001). For example, many societies are organized by patrilineal descent tracing kin through the male line, while matrilineal descent follows the female line (Murdock, 1949). Principles of kinship also extend beyond blood ties through practices like adoption or godparent rituals that integrate non-biological relatives (Jones, 2010). A major area of interest has been whether universal features of kinship reflect innate psychological predispositions or evolved gradually out of social necessity. Lévi-Strauss (1969) famously argued kinship is rooted in the universal human taboo against incest, which requires exogamous marriage rules. Others have critiqued this view, arguing kinship develops as a pragmatic system for regulating access to resources, political power, and reproductive partners (White et al, 2020). From this perspective, kinship principles are more fluid, varying across cultures, and changing in response to external factors. Researchers also debate the primary functions of kinship. Proposed roles include facilitating transmission of property, status or skills (Goody, 1969), establishing connections for mutual aid (Malinowski, 1913), and ensuring care for dependents (Fox, 1967). Kin relations supply a basis for individual identity and group solidarity but can also enable nepotism or perpetuate inequality (Simpson, 2001). In Summary about Anthropologists is Examining cross-cultural patterns pushes theorists to re-examine assumptions about social organization.

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