Kinship

Kinship is one of the main organizing principles of society. It is one of the basic human relationships that form social bonds and obligations between individuals. The study of kinship involves analyzing the patterns of social relationships in one or more human cultures, or it can refer to the study of the kinship system in one culture.

Kinship can refer both to the patterns of social relationships themselves, or it can refer to the study of the patterns of social relationships in one or more human cultures (i.e. kinship studies).

Types of Kinship

Kinship can be categorized into two main types: Consanguineous kinship and Affinal kinship.

Consanguineous Kinship

Consanguineous kinship is based on blood relations, that is, relations by birth, such as between parents and children or between siblings.

Affinal Kinship

Affinal kinship, on the other hand, is based on marriage, such as the relationship between a husband and wife, or their relations with their in-laws.

Kinship Terminology

Different societies classify kinship relations differently and therefore use different systems of kinship terminology – for example, English speakers use "brother" but also "cousin", while French speakers use "frère" but also "cousin".

Kinship and Descent

One of the key concepts in the study of kinship is descent. In many societies, descent is the principle through which individuals are considered to belong to a particular category of people, such as a tribe or a lineage.

Kinship and Social Norms

Kinship relations often have strong influences on social norms and behavior. For example, in many societies, there are specific social norms that are associated with one's kinship ties, such as obligations for financial support or expectations for behavior.

Kinship in Anthropology

The study of kinship is a central focus of anthropology, especially social anthropology. Anthropologists have studied kinship patterns and their effects on social structure in many different cultures.

See Also

• Family
• Marriage
• Cousin
• Anthropology of kinship
• Descent (anthropology)

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