Exam 9: Kinship, Family, and Marriage

Anthropologists in the early twentieth century believed that kinship structures would yield crucial data and patterns about societal structure. What was one of the primary goals of these efforts?

How do humans build kinship ties between two people who are not their immediate biological kin?

A patrilineal descent group traces kinships through which side of the family?

Compulsory dowries have not been legal in India since the 1960s, nevertheless,

Families in the United States are supplementing biological connections and affinal marriage connections with alternative family forms based on friendship, respect, and mutual support. One alternative family form is that of chosen families. What are chosen families, and what are some of the reasons that they exist and are becoming more common? Give three examples of chosen families in the United States. Do you think that chosen families existed in the distant past? Why or why not? What do you think will happen to the prevalence of chosen families in the future, and why?

Why did members of the Chen descent group have difficulty reconstructing their genealogy?

What are the two types of descent groups distinguished by anthropologists?

Among Malay villagers on the island of Langkawi, kinship is not only given at birth, but also acquire through:

What is distinctive about new kinship groups created through affinal relationships?

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?

While the notion of a romantic marriage predominates thinking in the United States, what is another common reason for marriage prevalent in other countries?

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

The author of your textbook describes a situation in a Chinese village in which family and ancestral records had been destroyed as part of the national cultural revolution in the 1960s. The author uses this case to underscore the fact that political factors can shape efforts to construct and maintain kinship. What are two examples of ways in which political factors may have shaped kinship in the United States? Do you think that political factors continue to influence kinship in any way today? Why or why not? What future implications may current political factors have on future forms of kinship?

You attend a friend's wedding. At one point, the father of the groom hands a set of new car keys to the bride. What would you, as an anthropologist, call this?

Benny loves to tell mother-in-law jokes. What kind of relative is he joking about?

Marriage is often seen as a way to build an alliance and create new relationships between different groups. Sometimes this outcome is coincidental, but in many cases, it is accomplished intentionally through what kind of marriage?

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

Marriage in various forms occurs all over the world. In the United States, we typically practice kindred exogamy. What is kindred exogamy and what are two examples of marriages that would violate its rules? How does exogamy generally differ from endogamy? Is endogamy officially or unofficially practiced in the United States? What are two examples of unofficial or implicit endogamy that may occur in a group of people? What are some benefits and drawbacks of exogamy and endogamy?

Teresa and Caitlyn are successful professionals in their 50s. Although they don't feel any economic or social pressure, they decide to get married. What kind of marriage to they have?

Both matrilineal and patrilineal patterns of descent build kinship groups through either one genealogical line (the mother's side) or the other (the father's side). What anthropological concept does this reflect?