Culture, Social, PolitIcal Institutions

• Kinship


  Social institution that refers to relations formed between members of society
• Types of Kinship

  • Kinship by Blood
  • Kinship by Marriage
  • Kinship by Rituals
• Kinship by Blood (Consanguineal)


  • Relationship achieved by birth or blood affinity
  • Descent refers to biological relationship
  • Lineage refers to line where one's descent is traced
  • Patrilineal form of descent
  • Matrilineal form of descent
  • Bilateral form of descent
• Kinship by Marriage (Affinal)


  • Endogamy - compulsory marriage
  • Exogamy - out-marriage
  • Monogamy - one male/female partner
  • Polygamy - more than one partner
  • Polygyny - man has multiple female partners
  • Polyandry - woman has multiple male partners
  • Patrilocal - couple stays with husband's relatives
  • Matrilocal - couple stays with wife's relatives
  • Biolocal - couple stays with both sets of relatives
  • Arranged marriage
  • Referred marriage
• Post-Marital Residence Rules


  • Neolocal - new household formed
  • Patrilocal - couple stays with husband's family
  • Matrilocal - couple stays with wife's family
  • Matrifocal - woman and her children without adult men
  • Avunculocal - men relocate to mother's brother's household
  • Ambilocal - couple decides to join either spouse's household
  • Natalocal - each partner remains with own family
• Kinship by Rituals (Compadrazgo)


  Ritualized form of forging co-parenthood or family
• Family


  Basic unit of social organization, made up of individuals linked by marriage, blood, or adoption
• Types of Families


  • Nuclear family
  • Extended family
  • Blended family
• Types of Households


  • Nuclear household
  • Extended household
  • Reconstituted household
  • Matrifocal household
  • Transnational family
• Political Organization


  • Bands - several families living together
  • Tribes - acephalous political system
  • Chiefdom - formal leadership, authority in select family
  • Nation - people sharing common history, language, traditions
• Legitimacy


  Moral and ethical concept that bestows the right to exercise power
• Authority


  Power to make binding decisions and issue commands
• Types of Authority

  • Traditional authority - derived from customs and habits
  • Charismatic authority - derived from individual's charisma
  • Rational-legal authority - derived from formal rules and laws