SOC123

• Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology SOC 123


  • Course Outline (Part 2)
  • Class meeting time(s)
  • Course expectations and obligations
  • Assessment
  • Key readings
  • Kinship studies
• The Evolution of Societies


  • Hunter Gatherers Societies or Bands "Primitive"
  • Tribe Societies
  • Chiefdoms
  • States
• Hunter Gatherers Societies or Bands "Primitive"


  • Small group that is connected by family ties and is politically independent
  • Egalitarian, nomadic, kin-based group of perhaps 10–50 people
  • No metal working, pottery, agriculture
• Examples of Gatherers Societies or BandsTribe Societies

  
  

  the Bush- men

  the Pygmies

  the Hadza,

  the Okiek

  and the Boni,
• Tribe Societies


  • Group of people who live together
  • Share a common language, culture, or history
  • Tribes often have a common ancestor-not nomadic
• Kinship as Descent


  • Relationship
  • Blood relationship or social
  • Sharing characteristics of origin
  • Based on real family ties
  • A web of social relationships
  • Integral part of human societies
• Central Pillars of Kinship


  • Reproduction of society
  • Transmission of cultural values and knowledge between generations
  • Important in politics and economy
  • Daily management of society affairs
  • Family ties have normal and normative obligations
  • Kinship can be strengthened through across Group marriages
  • Ensure political stability, financial and religious interests
  • Strong kinship promotes a) mutual bonds of loyalty b) cooperation in war and c) peaceful negotiations
• Kinship systems


  • Governed by norms
  • Emphasis on how to behave towards different categories of kin
  • Set out duties and obligations
  • Ensure strategy on division of labour
  • Recruitment of kin based genealogical principle
• Patrilineal system


  Recruitment of kinship based genealogical principle-members of the father kin Group
• Matrilineal


  Recruitment of kinship based genealogical principle-members of the mother kin Group
• Kinship Symbols


  • Triangle denotes man
  • Circle denotes woman
  • Sign of equation denotes marriage
  • Sign of equation denotes with a cross denotes divorce
  • Horizontal lines denotes siblings
  • Diagonal line through a symbol demotes the person in is dead
• Inheritance


  Transmission of property
• All societies have laws stipulating procedures for inheritance
• Six Principles for the transmission of kin Group Membership and resources from parents to children


  • Patrilineal
  • Matrilineal
  • Double
  • Cognatic
  • Parallel
  • Crossing or altering
• Matrilineal Descent


  • Involves many groups in Melanesia (Pacific), Africa and North America
  • Lineage is through relative of the mother, mother's mother and mother's brother
  • One's father belongs to a different lineage-his own matrilineage
  • Mother's brother acts as authority to sister's children
  • Father expected to be gentle and kind-no longer ego-opposite of patrilineal
  • Descent traced through women
  • But political power remains with men
  • Each patrilineage has a male chief
  • Important resources are transmitted through inheritance from men to men-usually mother's brother to the ego
  • Newly wed settle with men's family not with the women's
  • Tribute usually paid to matrilineal relatives e.g. animal and agricultural produce
• Summary differences and similarities between matrilineal and patrilineal systems


  • Both systems usually dominated by men
  • In both systems, inheritance particularly land follows men
  • Patrilineal societies-land rights transmitted from father to child –son
  • Matrilineal societies-land rights transmitted from mother's to daughter's son
  • Matrilineal ego member of the kin group as his or her, mother's brother, mother brother children
  • Patrilineal society-one belongs to the same group as one's father, father's father, father's brother, father brother children
  • In patrilineal system-the wives of the men ensure continuity of the Group
  • In matrilineal system-men's sister do so
  • Men ensure continuity of their lineage
  • Women ensure continuity of their lineage
• Lineages


  • Consist of persons with intermediate links
  • Common descent-shared ancestor or ancestress
  • Historically, lineages are shallow and smaller than clans
  • Lineages may form alliances thus become big and strong
• Conical clan


  • Common-wide spread
  • Hierarchical or ordered with a centralized leadership
  • Ruled by a higher chief supported by the oldest man of the lineage at each level
  • Typical of relatively stable chiefdoms
  • Unlike states, based on kin loyalty
  • Not loyal to the law or the flag
• Segmentary Clans


  • Very influential in African peoples e.g. Nuer of Southern Sudan
  • Not hierarchical-headless
  • No recognized leader
  • Consist of structurally equal lineages-sub clans
  • All members of the clan regard each other as related or distant relatives
  • Segments are distant and independent
  • Peaceful in abundant periods
  • They are close and united during war and drought e.g. New Guinea Highlands
• Biology and Kinship


  • Outside anthropology kinship is seen primarily as biological
  • Production is the single most important force of human action
  • Men strive to spread their genetic material
  • Women seek men who can protect them and their offspring(s)
  • Solidarity between family members can be explained in terms of shared genes
  • Howell (2007) A man is prepared to die for his immediate family and relatives
  • Blood is thicker than water
  • Carsten (2004) Kinship is strong in blood relatives
• Sahlins (1977) Biology has been used and abused in kinship context
• Contrary to Darwinism, cultural concept is longer perceived as 'biological 'function or adaptive'
• Dolly and Wilson (1988, 1998) Statistical material indicates that from several Western societies step parents are likely to harm their parents than biological parents
• In New Guinea highlands many people become relatives by virtue of sharing food
• Discussion: Kinship and Genetics


  • Advances in human DNA, notion about kinship, race and ethnicity
  • DNA and individual DNA can tell us who really we are
  • Ancestral DNA test-online, Wits ect
  • Public perceptions about genetics and DNA in Botswana
  • Animal Semen bank
  • Towards a human semen bank, organ transplant?
  • Legislation
  • Kinship should be conceptualized beyond genetic connection- but also incorporate people living in the same land
• Individuals discovering who they are through DNA testing
• Spanish adaptive families and their views on cultural origins
• Nuer proverb: ''They are our enemies we marry them.''
• Marriage


  In many societies, men perceive women as a scarce resource
• Women


  • Required for survival in matrimonial and patrimonial societies
• Societies


  • Matrimonial
  • Patrilineal
  • Cognitive and bilateral
• Women


  Scarce because of birth-limited to one birth per year-limited capacity
• Historically, child mortality was high in Africa
• Reproductive perspective


  • Men are capable of having many children per day
  • Women's eggs are scarce-expensive
  • Men's sperms abundant-cheap
• Why do men want many children?


  • Labour
  • Power for the fields and herd
  • Basis of political support
  • Old age insurance policy
• Male drive for reproduction


  • Biological reasons
  • Historical male for reproduction has changed-why?
• Polygamy


  A system where a man marries several wives
• Polyandry


  Where a women marries several husbands-rare 1:4
• Marriage


  Seen effectively as reproducing and socializing children
• Traditionally in Africa, romantic love was rare and not seen as an important element of marriage