ANT211H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Nepotism, Clitoridectomy, Bride Price
Document Summary
Cross cultural universals of human society: monogamous relationships through repeated reproductive episodes, biparental care, marriage, not to be confused with a monogamous mating system, stable mateships within a social network of other relationships, kinship. Cross-cultural: food sharing & economic networks. Commonalities: everyone has a concept of close and distant kin, kinship is understood in terms of genealogical descent or common ancestor, may be cultural & biological. Is kinship a nepotistic strategy to maximize inclusive fitness: mitigates conflict, involves cooperation, kinship is not a cultural concept. Problems: rarely correlates directly with genetic relatedness, may be a cultural (not a biological) relationship. Economic networks & food sharing: post reproductive people contribute through childcare, adoption of nonbiological children, hunter & gatherer roots. !kung san, sw kalahari (richard lee & nancy howell) Human fertility the invention of agriculture: new material wealth, domestication of plants & animals, better maternal nutrition.
