Kinship systems refer to how people are connected as relatives, either through blood relations (consanguinity) or through marriage (affinity).
We often think of the kinship system we’re born into as natural and correct. For example, we believe it’s natural to avoid marrying or having sexual relationships with certain close relatives, and we think that bad things would happen if these rules were broken. We also have strong opinions about how different relatives should behave towards each other, like showing respect, kindness, or protection.
These ideas about kinship seem obvious to us until we encounter different practices from other cultures. Initially, these different customs might seem strange, disgusting, or even inhuman. Early anthropologists tried to figure out the stages of development that kinship systems might have gone through in human history.
However, when we look closer, we usually find that these different kinship practices make sense within their own societies. They help maintain social order, ensure continuity, and manage potential conflicts. This doesn’t mean that all practices are good for everyone or are justifiable, such as harmful customs like sati (the practice of a widow burning herself on her husband’s funeral pyre), female infanticide, or child marriage. Understanding these practices involves seeing how they fit into the broader principles and values of the society where they exist now or existed in the past.
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