Exam 10: Kinship, Family, and Marriage

The parents of an upper-class family in the United States send their two children to a private boarding school and, later, to an elite college. Both children marry other members of the upper class, whom they met at school. Their parents encouraged what kind of an arranged marriage?

One of the ways that humans construct kinship groups is by tracking genealogy. What are these kinds of groups called?

The old song "Love and Marriage" suggests that "you can't have one without the other." As we have seen, however, it is common that a marriage is not based on love but instead on very different things. In your own words, define arranged and companionate marriages, explaining some of the things on which people today are basing marriages. What has changed in the question of love and marriage and why has it changed? What are some of the forces that drive changing marriage patterns and thus the motives-such as love-for getting married in the first place?

Within a family structure, we learn how to treat our kin, how to behave in larger groups, and how to accept differences in age. This enculturation process also gives us tools to understand what other crucial aspect of family and society?

Which of the following types of marriage specifically involves the marital union of one woman to two or more men?

In 2004, the American Anthropological Association (AAA)-the largest association of anthropologists in the United States-issued a statement regarding same-sex marriages and what was then a contentious piece of legislation, the Defense of Marriage Act. What position did the AAA take on same-sex marriages? Did the AAA have research data to substantiate its position? Do you think that professional associations such as the AAA should make formal position statements about issues that are part of a "culture clash"? Why or why not?

According to Melanie Medeiros, what happened to marriage patterns in Brogodo, Brazil, as the tourism industry created more economic opportunities for women?

How families are conceptualized and formed varies across cultural groups. Define and describe the ways in which a family of orientation and a family of procreation differ. How does the concept of a nuclear family fit into these two concepts of family? Why is the concept of a nuclear family more common in the United States and other Western industrialized cultures and societies? What are some examples of other concepts of family found in other cultures throughout the world? What may be some underlying factors that contribute to the diverse ways in which family is conceptualized and formed? How do you think the concept of family may change in the future, and why?

In some parts of the world, when a marriage ends, the former spouses often remarry new partners soon afterward. What form of marriage is this?

In some cultures, including Chinese and Indian, there is a strong preference for male children. This preference has been most impacted by what particular development?

One of the characteristics of kinship that makes it so enduring for humans is the deep connection it brings. In most kinship systems, how long do such connections endure?

The origins of the incest taboo are unclear, even after decades of careful study. One theory holds that the taboo is due to a fear of creating genetic defects in offspring. What is one argument against this theory?

Which of the following types of descent groups traces kinship through both the mother and the father?

Anthropologists have clearly demonstrated that kinship is not solely given at birth via biological connections or through marriage alliances but can be acquired through other means. What are three other ways in which kinship can be acquired? What are the benefits of being able to acquire kinship outside of biological relations and marriage? Provide at least two examples of alternate forms of acquiring kinship in the United States and in your own home community.

Which of the following is the practice of formalizing and legalizing a marriage through the exchange of gifts between the bride's family and the groom's family?

Through kinship studies across cultures, anthropologists have determined that the ways in which genealogies are constructed can be messy and far from exact. Gaps, interruptions, disruptions, uncertainties, and assumed connections are all found among genealogies. This fact is further underscored by Kathleen Gough's reexamination of anthropologist E. E. Evans-Pritchard's kinship work with Nuer people in Sudan. Describe one example of a genealogical disruption that Gough found among Nuer kinship data collected in the 1930s, and discuss why the disruption likely occurred. What sorts of gaps and disruptions are present in your own genealogy, and why do you think they have occurred? Do you think that genealogies will undergo even greater gaps and disruptions in the future? Why or why not?

Susan Kahn found that Jewish women in Israel are deeply compelled to reproduce both the family and the nation. With the advent of reproductive technologies, this is made quite easy, and one might conclude that it is a matter of giving birth and raising the child. But this raises many very difficult questions. Many of the difficult questions hinge upon the kin system there, which is what type?

The concept of kinship groups is often based on the idea that a nuclear family consists of a mother, a father, and their children. What kind of model is this?

Anthropologists argue that kinship is one of several ways in which individuals form groups. Name and describe three other ways in which humans form groups. Does kinship influence how these other groups are formed? Why or why not?

What is true about the incest taboo forbidding sexual relations with close relatives such as siblings and parents?