ANTHR101 Lecture Notes - Consanguinity, Patrilineality, Bilateral Descent
24 Apr 2013
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Document Summary
Obligations only truly exist between parents and children (legal obligations) Kin play important economic, social, political and religious roles in most societies. In many societies to become an adult you must pass certain rituals and many times it"s your family that gets you through this. Just like marriage, kinship is the foundation to many societies. Kinship refers to the relationships that are based on blood (consanguineal relatives) or marriage (affinal relatives) The vertical function of kinship provides social continuity by binding together a number of successive generations. Used to pass on education, tradition, property, and political office. The horizontal function of kinship tends to solidify or tie together a society through the process of marriage. Used to form alliances with other kinship groups. Can create alliances to end warfare, create economical ties. Descent is the tracing of kinship relations through birth or relations with a parent or parents. Descent is a smaller subset of your relatives.
