Kinship
• Kinship: a culturally defined relationship established on the basis of
blood ties or through marriage
• Kinship system: kin relations, kin groups, and terms for classifying
kin in a society
• Most small scale societies are organized around kinship
• 3 things are important in kinship:
◦ Families
▪ Nuclear family: organized around the conjugal tie, the
relationship between husband and wife
▪ Extended family: blood relations extending over 3 or
more generations. The extended family is based on consanguineal,
or blood, relations extending over generations.
▪ Economic advantages: keeps land intact and
provides security in times of crisis
▪ Provides a sense of participation and dignity for
the older family members
◦ Descent/Lineage: a group that come from a common
ancestor
▪ Bilineal: tracing descent
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