SOCIOL 4A03 Lecture Notes - Incest Taboo, Economic Security
Document Summary
In the interest if maintaining kinship organization w/ extended family. The fundamental unit of any kinship network is the family. The transmission of property is part of the family. We trace descent through both mother and father. Culture that traces descent through mother"s line (not father"s) Say that sexual relations w/ any of the mother"s relatives are forbidden. Bilateral taboo on both sides but more on close family like aunts, uncles, grandparents, siblings. In leading family to keep royal family pure. Nature the incest taboo rules out the possibility of recessive genes becoming too frequent. In order to be expressed both man and woman need it. Therefore more likely to get it when marry a close relative. Prevents family from collapsing into chaos (social reason) Another social reason the incest taboo forces people to marry outside of family and form alliances (therefore, more likely to survive) Marrying outside of family led to broader alliances.
