Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics (Kinship)

• Family - Basic unit of the society
• Kinship - social institution that refers to the relations formed among the members of society
• 2 Types of Kinship:

  • Consaguineal Kinship
  • Affinal Kinship
• Consanguineal Kinship - Kinship is based on blood and is the most basic and general form of relation. The relationship is achieved by birth or blood affinity.
• Affinal Kinship - Kinship based on marriage and developed when marriage occurs.
• The Family Code of the Philippines - defines marriage as a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman.
• Descent - (pinagmulan ng angkan) refers to the origin or background of a person in terms of family or nationality. It is a biological relationship.
• Principles of Descent

  • Unilineal descent
  • Patrilineal descent
  • Matrilineal descent
• Unilineal descent - usually traced through a single line of ancestors either from the patrilineal or matrilineal descent but not both.
• Patrilineal descent - affiliates a person with a group of relatives through his or her father.
• Matrilineal descent - affiliates a person with a group of relatives through his or her mother.
• There are four groups which refer themselves as belonging to a particular unilineal group because they believe they share common descent in either the patrilineal line or the matrilineal line:

  • Lineages
  • Clans
  • Phratries
  • Moieties
• Lineages - It is a set of kin whose members trace descent from a common ancestor through known links.
• Clans - It is a set of kin whose members believe themselves to be descended from a common ancestor but not that specified.
• Clans with patrilineal descent are called patricians while matrilineal descent are called matriclans.
• Phratries- It is a unilineal descent group composed of supposedly related clans
• Moieties - It is when a whole society is divided into two unilineal descent groups. The people in each moiety believe themselves to be descended from a common ancestor.
• Bilateral descent - affiliates a person with a group of relatives through either his or her parents.
• Ambilineal Descent -  is a system containing both unilineal descent groups example both patrilineal and matrilineal groups in which one belongs to one's father's and/or mother's descent group.
• Marriage - means a socially approved sexual and economic union, usually between a man and a woman.
• 2 governing types of marriages:

  • Monogamy
  •  Polygamy
• Monogamy - It is a form of marriage in which one man marries one woman. It is the most common and acceptable form of marriage.
• Polygamy - It is a form of marriage in which one is entitled to marry many partners.
• 2 types of Polygamy:

  • Polygyny
  • Polyandry
• Polygyny - it is a form of marriage in which one man marries more than one woman at a given time. 
• 2 types of Polygyny:

  Sororal Polygyny - It is a type of marriage in which the wives are invariably the sisters

  Non-sororal Polygyny - It is a type of marriage in which the wives are not related as sisters.
• Polyandry - It is the marriage of one woman with more than one man. It is less common than polygyny.
• 2 types of Polyandry:

  Fraternal Polyandry - When several brothers share the same wife the practice can be called alelphic or fraternal polyandry.

  Non-Fraternal Polyandry - In this type the husband need not have any close relationship prior to the marriage. The wife goes to spend some time with each husband
• Endogamy and exogamy are the two main rules that condition marital choice.
• • Endogamy- It is a rule of marriage in which the life-partners are to be selected within the group. It is marriage within the group and the group may be caste, class, tribe, race, village, religious group etc.

  • Exogamy- It is a rule of marriage in which an individual has to marry outside his own group. It prohibits marrying within the group. The so-called blood relatives shall neither have
• Referred marriage - happens when someone finds his/her partner through friends, relatives or people who act as matchmakers.
• Arranged marriage - is usually called fixed marriage. It happens when marriage is arranged by the parents of the groom and bride.
• Types of Arranged Marriages

  Child marriage:

  Exchange Marriage:

  Diplomatic Marriage:

  Modern arranged marriage:
• Child marriage: The parents of a small child arrange a future marriage with another child's parents. The children are betrothed to each other.
• Exchange Marriage: This form of marriage involves a reciprocal exchange of spouses between two nations, groups, or tribes.
• Diplomatic Marriage: Marriages are arranged for political reasons, to cement alliances between royal families.
• Modern arranged marriage: The parents choose several possible mates for the child, sometimes with the help of the child (who may indicate which photos he or she likes, for example).
• Post Marital Residency Rules (based on residence)

  • Patrilocal residence 
  • Matrilocal residence 
  • Biolocal residence 
  • Neolocal residence 
  • Avunculocal residence 
• Patrilocal residence - occurs when the married couple stays with or near the husband’s kin or relatives.
• Matrilocal residence - occurs when the married couple stays with or near the wife’s kin or relatives