Descent and kinship are two notions that help us to trace our ancestors. Kinship is a system of social relationships between people based on blood or marriage while descent is the socially existing recognized biological relationships between people in the society. Key Areas Covered
What do you mean by kinship?
refers to the culturally defined relationships between individuals who are commonly thought of as having family ties. All societies use kinship as a basis for forming social groups and for classifying people. However, there is a great amount of variability in kinship rules and patterns around the world.
What is descent in family?
Definition of Descent (noun) The relationship between an individual and their ancestors through blood (consanguinity), marriage (affinity), or adoption.
What is descent with example?
descent noun (RELATION) the state or fact of being related to a particular person or group of people who lived in the past: She's a woman of mixed/French descent. They trace their line of descent back to a French duke. He claims direct descent from Mohammed.
What are the 3 types of kinship?
TypesConsanguineal: This kinship is based on blood—or birth: the relationship between parents and children as well as siblings, says the Sociology Group. ... Affinal: This kinship is based on marriage. ... Social: Schneider argued that not all kinship derives from blood (consanguineal) or marriage (affinal).
What are rules of descent in kinship?
Rules of descent are jural principles for assigning individuals to units of kinship that are wider than the nuclear family and whose members are related by consanguineal ties: ties of...
What is an example of a descent group?
Siblings belong to the descent group of their father, but their mother belongs to a different descent group, the group to which her father belongs. Therefore, a man's children will belong to his descent group, but a woman's children will not belong to her descent group.
What is the difference between kinship and kinship?
Usually "kin" means people: it is a singular noun referring to the group of people you are related to. "Kinship" is not people. It is the connection you have with people you are related to.
What is the difference of kinship?
The key difference between family and kinship can be identified from the definition of the two words. A family refers to a group including parents and children. On the other hand, kinship can be understood as blood relationship.
What are the most common types of descent?
Cognatic descent is known to occur in four variations: bilineal, ambilineal, parallel, and bilateral descent. By far the most common pattern is bilateral descent, which is commonly used in European cultures.
What are the 5 types of kinship?
Types of KinshipKinship and its degree:Secondary Consanguineal kinship:Secondary Affinal kinship:Tertiary consanguineal kinship:Descent: it refers to the socially existing recognized biological relationships between people in society. ... Lineage: it refers to the line from which descent is traced.
What are the 6 types of kinship?
Anthropologists have discovered that there are only six basic kin naming patterns or systems used by almost all of the thousands of cultures in the world. They are referred to as the Eskimo, Hawaiian, Sudanese, Omaha, Crow, and Iroquois systems.
What are two types of kinship?
There are two basic kinds of kinship ties: Those based on blood that trace descent. Those based on marriage, adoption, or other connections.
What is descent and marriage?
Descent and kinship are two notions that help us to trace our ancestors. Kinship is a system of social relationships between people based on blood or marriage while descent is the socially existing recognized biological relationships between people in the society.
What are the most common types of descent?
Cognatic descent is known to occur in four variations: bilineal, ambilineal, parallel, and bilateral descent. By far the most common pattern is bilateral descent, which is commonly used in European cultures.
What is difference between lineage and descent?
Lineage can be defined as a principle upon which inheritance is decided. It is mostly established by one parent – either mother or father. Descent can be defined as a person's affiliation with a group of his/her parents. It can be classified into various types, which will be discussed further in detail.
What is descent and its types?
Such unilineal kinship systems, as they are called, are of two main types—patrilineal (or agnatic) systems, in which the relationships reckoned through the father are emphasized, and matrilineal (or uxorial) systems, in which the relationships reckoned through the mother are emphasized.
What is kinship and descent?
Kinship and Descent. Kinship and descent are each notions that have been of particular preoccupation to social anthropologists, as much due to their importance as because of the difficulties they present.
What is the difference between kinship and descent?
In all societies, kinship and descent are two different notions: Kinship is a social relationship that may or may not coincide with a biological one; descent is a social convention that may require a biological relationship.
Why is descent system harmonic?
Because descent systems determine the kinship group to which individuals belong and with whom they usually cohabit, descent also appears related to the location of residence of both individuals and groups. When descent and locality appear parallel, that is, when patrilineal descent goes together with patrilocality or virilocality (residence with patrilateral relatives) and matrilineal descent goes together with matrilocality or uxorilocality (residence with matrilateral relatives), the descent system is described as harmonic. For instance, the patrilineal Nuer are patrilocal and the matrilineal Hopi, matrilocal.
What is the name of the descent of an individual?
When the elements of an individual’s status are transmitted through men, in particular the father, the descent is termed patrilineal or agnatic. In these cases, individuals belong to the groups constituted by their fathers’ kin without overlooking their consanguinity links with their mothers. The Nuer in Sudan, as well as the ancient Romans, have kinship groups of typical patrilineal or agnatic descent.
What is kinship in social studies?
In particular, kinship refers to social relationships that usually coincide with biological ones. This is the case with the two forms of real kinship: consanguinity and affinity. Pseudokinship or fictitious kinship takes place when the social relationships simulate the ones arising through real kinship (consanguinity or affinity) but without any biological relationship. For example, in many societies, children who are breast-fed by the same mother are considered siblings. We can view ritual kinship as a special form of fictitious kinship, which necessitates a ritual for its creation, rituals such as godparenthood, adoption, or fraternization.
What is the function of descendent systems?
Descent systems determine the parents who transmit the main characteristics of individuals’ status. Parents also determine our membership in kinship groups: our mother’s, our father’s, or both.
What is descent theory?
A different view to these older theories is aired by Levi-Strauss’s alliance theory, which links the exchange of women and the interdiction of incest as the organizational principles of kinship. In all societies, kinship and descent are two different notions: Kinship is a social relationship ...
Descent groups
A descent group is a social group whose members claim common ancestry. A unilineal society (such as the Iroquois system) is one in which the descent of an individual is reckoned either from the mother's or the father's descent group.
Lineages, clans, phratries and moieties
A lineage is a descent group that can demonstrate their common descent from an apical ancestor. Lineages can be matrilineal or patrilineal, depending on whether they are traced through mothers or fathers, respectively. Whether matrilineal or patrilineal descent is considered most significant differs from culture to culture.
The nuclear family
The Western model of a nuclear family consists of a couple and its children. The nuclear family is ego-centered and impermanent, while descent groups are permanent (lasting beyond the lifespans of individual constituents) and reckoned according to a single ancestor.
Legal ramifications
Kinship and descent have a number of legal ramifications, which vary widely between legal and social structures.
Kinship systems
The six major kinship systems identified by Louis Henry Morgan in his 1871 work Systems of Consanguinity and Affinity of the Human Family are:
What is the kinship system?
The kinship system maintains unity, harmony, and cooperation among relationships.
What is kinship in social studies?
Kinship refers to a bunch of relationship and relatives, these are based on blood relationship (consanguineal) or marriage (affinal) Some basic definitions by different people: “The social relationships deriving from blood ties ( real and supposed) and marriage are collectively referred to as kinship.”. ‘Kinship is the recognition of relationships ...
What is primary consanguineal kinship?
Primary consanguineal kinship: this kin refers to that kin that is directly related to each other by birth. For instance association with or amongst parents and children and among siblings. Primary Affinal kinship: the relation that takes place with marriage is said to be Primary Affinal kinship.
What is affinal kinship?
Affinal kinship: this kinship is based on marriage. The relationship between husband and wife is the basic kin relations.
What are the two types of secondary kinship?
There are two types of Secondary kinship: Secondary Consanguineal kinship: This kind of kin refers to primary consanguineal kinship. The basic example of secondary consanguineal kinship would be the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren.
What does "descent" mean?
Descent: it refers to the socially existing recognized biological relationships between people in society.
What is secondary kinship?
Secondary kinship. Secondary kinship alludes to the primary kinship. As it were, the individuals who are specifically identified with primary kinship (i.e. primary kin of our primary kinship) become secondary kinship. In other words, it means relations that come through primary kinship are said to be secondary kinship.
What is the kinship system?
Kinship System is the biological relationship that determines who one’s relatives are and one’s relationship with them. This system is an important part of man’s life. Kinship system includes people one is related with through descent or marriage. Descent system is one of the terms related to kinship system.
What are the different types of descent?
Types, Forms, and Categories of Descent System. There are many categories of descent system. They are the Unilineal, Bilateral and Ambilineal descent system. Bilateral descent system is also called bilineal or double descent systems. More than one descent systems are practiced in Nigeria.
What is the Matrilineal descent system?
Matrilineal Descent System. This system is also known as “uxorial” descent system. This type of descent system is not as common as the patrilineal descent system. The children are traced to their mother’s lineage. The means of survival is carried out mostly by the women.
What is patrilocal residency?
The residence is patrilocal, in patrilocal residency, the man with his immediate family members lives in his father’s house. This system is found among the Yoruba and most Igbo people of Nigeria. ( Naming of Children In Yoruba Culture of Nigeria)
What are landed and immovable properties?
Usually, the landed and immovable properties such as the trees, forests, farm products are inherited through the male side while the movable properties and livestock are inherited matrilineally. This is common among the Yako people of Cross River State in Nigeria. 3. Ambilineal Descent System.
Why is the double descent system two sided?
This system is two-sided because an individual can be traced to, inherit from, and connected to both the father’s and mother’s side. There is a simultaneous affiliation to both sides.
What is the role of the maternal uncle in the patrilineal system?
The maternal uncle ( brother of the mother) holds a vital role in social responsibilities and inheritance.
What is the human kinship system?
We argue that the human kinship naming system is a schema that evolved to reduce the cognitive load of maintaining kinships, allowing the expansion of the human network and an increase in survival. We report on the results of two response time studies, using moral dilemmas as a proxy for relationship maintenance, which test the hypothesis. We find qualified support for our argument. Within the 50 layer of the social network kinships do impose less cognitive load than friendships allowing a saving in processing power and an increase in social network size beyond that seen in non-human primates. However, the result in the 150 layer is contrary to that posited by our hypothesis: kinships impose a greater load than friendships and this load is highest when refusing help to kin. We explore and discuss the influence on results within this outermost layer of the nature of response, the influence of the wider network and the temporal distance which exists between ego and alter at this level of the network.
What is lineal kinship?
In particular, I define lineal kinship organization as a social system that emphasizes interactions among lineally related kin —that is, individuals related through females only, if the emphasis is towards matrilineal kin, and individuals related through males only, if the emphasis is towards patrilineal kin. In a given population, the emphasis may be expressed in one or more social domains, corresponding to pathways for the transmission of different resources across generations (e.g. the allocation of food, the transfer of access to the natal territory or household). A lineal bias in any domain can be viewed as a bias in investment towards a particular set of kin—specifically, towards the offspring of daughters if the bias is matrilineal, and towards the offspring of sons if the bias is patrilineal. Effectively, investment is restricted to the offspring of the females in the population in one case, and to the offspring of the males in the other. This is distinct from a bias in investment towards daughters and towards sons, respectively. Overall, I propose a shift in focus—from viewing matrilineal and patrilineal kinship as unitary phenomena, to consideration of the different aspects of the social system featuring a bias towards lineally related kin. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The evolution of female-biased kinship in humans and other mammals’.
Is descent absolute?
not everyone. Descent, in co ntrast, is absolute: one is either a member or not a member of any. particular descent group. Both kinship and. descent are expressed in kinship terminologies, which vary in significant but limited ways across. human societies. Kinship as studied by social anthropologists is.
What is kinship in a family?
Kinship is always “bilateral”; that is, it consists of relatives on both the mother’s and the father’s sides. Of course the relatives on both sides of any individual overlap with those of others, creating a web of interconnectedness rather than a discrete group. However, the recognition of one line of descent and the exclusion of the other provides the basis of a “ unilineal ” kinship system. In such systems descent defines bounded groups. The principle operates similarly whether the rule of descent is matrilineal (traced through the mother in the female line) or patrilineal (traced through the father in the male line).
Where was kinship not always organized?
Furthermore, as scholars from Britain, France, and the United States increasingly undertook fieldwork outside Africa—for example, in Polynesia, Southeast Asia, or New Guinea—it became clear that kinship was not always organized through unilineal descent.
What is a unilineal kin system?
Unilineal kin systems trace kin through either the female line or the male line. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Unilineal kinship systems were seen by British anthropologists of this period as providing a basis for the stable functioning of societies in the absence of state institutions. Generally, unilineal descent groups were exogamous.
What is descent theory?
Descent theory. Kinship was regarded as the theoretical and methodological core of social anthropology in the early and middle part of the 20th century. Although comparative studies gradually abandoned an explicit evolutionist agenda, there remained an implicit evolutionary cast to the way in which kinship studies were framed.
Why is a man's position as a member of a matrilineage always to some degree compromised?
Because a man’s position as a member of a matrilineage was always to some degree compromised between affiliation to his mother’s group and to that of his wife, the extent to which he achieved full social personhood—that is, an identity altogether within either lineage—was limited.
What is the difference between patriarchy and matriliny?
Similarly, patriarchy denotes political control by men to the exclusion of women.
Descent Groups
Lineages, Clans, Phratries and Moieties
- Extending our discussion of kinship and descent, a kinship group (either lineage or clan) may be of matrilineal, patrilineal, or double descent. Lineage is the wider group of individuals beyond the family who are interconnected through consanguineal kinship and who acknowledge a common ancestor. Clan is the even wider social group in which members ...
The Nuclear Family
Legal Ramifications
- A descent group is a social group whose members claim common ancestry. A unilineal society (such as the Iroquois system) is one in which the descent of an individual is reckoned either from the mother's or the father's descent group. With matrilineal descent individuals belong to their mother's descent group (Not however through the mother directly. Usually descent is counted th…
Kinship Systems
- A lineage is a descent group that can demonstrate their common descent from an apical ancestor. Lineages can be matrilineal or patrilineal, depending on whether they are traced through mothers or fathers, respectively. Whether matrilineal or patrilineal descent is considered most significant differs from culture to culture. A clan is a descent group that claims common descen…
See Also
- The Western model of a nuclear familyconsists of a couple and its children. The nuclear family is ego-centered and impermanent, while descent groups are permanent (lasting beyond the lifespans of individual constituents) and reckoned according to a single ancestor. Kinship calculationis any systemic method for reckoning kin relations. Kinship termi...
Bibliography
- Kinship and descent have a number of legalramifications, which vary widely between legal and social structures. Most human groups share a taboo against incest; relatives are forbidden from marriage but the rules tend to vary widely once one moves beyond the nuclear family. At common law, the prohibitions are typically phrased in terms of "degrees of consanguinity." More importan…
External Links
- The six major kinship systems identified by Louis Henry Morgan in his 1871 work Systems of Consanguinity and Affinity of the Human Familyare: 1. Crow kinship(an expansion of Bifurcate Merging) 2. Eskimo kinship(also referred to as Lineal kinship) 3. Hawaiian kinship(also referred to as the Generational system) 4. Iroquois kinship(also known as Bifurcate merging) 5. Omaha kins…