UGC NET Sociology Family, Marriage and Kinship Syllabus

What is the cultural (symbolic/interpretivist) approach to kinship, as exemplified by David Schneider?

Kinship is a system of cultural symbols and meanings, not a reflection of biology; Schneider argued American kinship is built on the symbols of 'blood' (shared substance) and 'law/marriage' (code for conduct), and that 'kinship' as a universal category may not exist.

What was David Schneider's key critique in 'A Critique of the Study of Kinship' (1984)?

He argued that 'kinship' is not a universal, bounded domain but a Western folk-construct imposed by anthropologists; kinship cannot be assumed to be grounded in biological reproduction across all cultures.

According to the cultural approach, how is American kinship symbolically constructed (Schneider)?

Through two orders: the 'order of nature' (relatives by blood, sharing biogenetic substance) and the 'order of law' (relatives by marriage, defined by a code for conduct of diffuse enduring solidarity).

What is 'diffuse enduring solidarity' in Schneider's cultural account of kinship?

The core symbolic norm defining kin relationships: an unconditional, long-lasting, non-calculative bond of mutual support that members of a kinship system are expected to display.

Define 'descent' in kinship studies.

The socially recognized link between a person and their ancestors, tracing membership in a kin group through recognized lines (e.g., patrilineal, matrilineal).

Distinguish 'patrilineal' and 'matrilineal' descent.

Patrilineal descent traces kinship and inheritance through the father's (male) line; matrilineal descent traces them through the mother's (female) line.

What is 'bilateral' (cognatic) descent?

A system in which kinship is traced equally through both the mother's and father's lines, with no exclusive lineage group; characteristic of many modern Western societies.

Define 'lineage' and 'clan' and distinguish them.

A lineage is a descent group whose members can trace genealogical links to a known common ancestor; a clan is a larger group claiming descent from a common (often mythical/unverifiable) ancestor, sometimes via a totem.

Define 'exogamy' and 'endogamy.'

Exogamy is the rule requiring marriage outside one's own defined group (e.g., gotra, clan). Endogamy is the rule requiring marriage within a defined group (e.g., caste, religion, sub-caste).

Distinguish 'monogamy' from 'polygamy,' and name the two forms of polygamy.

Monogamy is marriage to one spouse at a time. Polygamy is plural marriage, comprising polygyny (one man, multiple wives) and polyandry (one woman, multiple husbands).

Distinguish 'fraternal' from 'non-fraternal' polyandry.

Fraternal (adelphic) polyandry: a woman's husbands are brothers (e.g., among the Todas and in some Himalayan groups). Non-fraternal polyandry: the husbands are not related.

What is 'hypergamy' (anuloma) versus 'hypogamy' (pratiloma) in Indian kinship?

Hypergamy (anuloma) is marriage of a woman into an equal or higher status group than her own. Hypogamy (pratiloma) is marriage of a woman into a lower status group; traditionally disapproved.

Define the residence rules 'patrilocal,' 'matrilocal,' and 'neolocal.'

Patrilocal (virilocal): couple resides with/near the husband's father's family. Matrilocal (uxorilocal): couple resides with/near the wife's family. Neolocal: couple establishes a new, independent residence.

What is 'avunculocal' residence and which descent system is it associated with?

Avunculocal residence is where a married couple lives with or near the husband's mother's brother (maternal uncle); it is associated with matrilineal descent systems.

Distinguish 'bride price' (bride wealth) from 'dowry.'

Bride price (bride wealth) is wealth transferred from the groom's family to the bride's family. Dowry is wealth transferred from the bride's family to the groom/groom's family.

What are the eight types of marriage in classical Hindu (Dharmashastra) tradition?

Brahma, Daiva, Arsha, Prajapatya (four approved forms), and Asura, Gandharva, Rakshasa, Paisacha (four disapproved/condemned forms).

What is the difference between 'levirate' and 'sororate'?

Levirate: a widow marries her deceased husband's brother. Sororate: a widower marries his deceased wife's sister (or a man marries his wife's sister, often if the wife is barren).

In Iravati Karve's classification, what are the four kinship zones of India?

Northern, Central, Southern, and Eastern zones, distinguished by differences in kinship terminology, marriage rules (e.g., cross-cousin marriage in the South), and language families.

What marriage practice characterizes the Southern kinship zone in Iravati Karve's scheme, contrasting with the North?

The South permits/prefers consanguineous unions such as cross-cousin and (in some groups) maternal uncle-niece marriage, whereas the North enforces strict exogamy (gotra, village, sapinda rules) forbidding such unions.

What is the 'gotra' and its role in North Indian Hindu marriage rules?

A gotra is an exogamous patrilineal clan tracing descent from a common rishi (sage); marriage within the same gotra is prohibited (gotra exogamy), reinforcing the rule of marrying outside one's lineage.

What is 'sapinda' exogamy in Hindu marriage law?

A rule prohibiting marriage between persons related within specified degrees of common ancestry (sapinda relationship)—generally up to five generations on the father's side and three on the mother's side.

What is a 'kinship terminology' and name the two broad types distinguished by classificatory vs descriptive systems (Morgan).

Kinship terminology is the system of terms used to label relatives. Lewis Henry Morgan distinguished 'classificatory' systems (one term covers several distinct relatives, e.g., father and father's brother) from 'descriptive' systems (each relative has a distinct term).

According to Radcliffe-Brown (descent/structural-functional school), what is the function of kinship systems?

Kinship systems function to maintain social structure and solidarity by establishing orderly, predictable patterns of rights, obligations, and behavior among related persons across generations.

What is the 'avunculate' and how did Radcliffe-Brown explain it?

The avunculate is the special relationship between a man and his mother's brother (maternal uncle). Radcliffe-Brown explained it via the principle of extending sentiments from one parent to that parent's siblings, structurally linked to descent and the treatment of the mother.

What is a 'joint family' as classically defined in Indian sociology?

A family in which members related by blood share a common residence, common kitchen (hearth), common property, common worship, and are bound by mutual rights and obligations across generations.

How does the functionalist view of family differ from the conflict/feminist critique of it?

Functionalists see the family as performing positive, integrative functions for society and members; conflict and feminist theorists critique it as a site of inequality, exploitation of women's unpaid labor, and reproduction of class/patriarchal domination.

What did Edmund Leach's study of Kachin society contribute to Alliance theory?

Leach showed how asymmetrical (generalized) marriage exchange between wife-givers and wife-takers (mayu-dama relations) created ranked political alliances, supporting Levi-Strauss's emphasis on marriage exchange as structuring social and political order.

In Alliance theory, what is the structural relationship between 'wife-givers' and 'wife-takers'?

In systems of generalized exchange, wife-givers and wife-takers form distinct, often ranked categories where one group consistently gives women to another, creating asymmetrical and enduring inter-group alliances.

What is 'fictive kinship'?

Kin-like relationships not based on blood or marriage but socially recognized as kinship (e.g., godparents, ritual friendship, adoption), illustrating the cultural/symbolic constructedness of kinship.

How do 'new kinship studies' (e.g., influenced by Schneider) reconceive kinship in light of assisted reproduction?

They argue kinship is increasingly understood as culturally constructed and 'made' rather than purely biological—new reproductive technologies (surrogacy, IVF, donors) detach kinship from natural facts, showing relatedness is defined by cultural meaning and practice.

What is the key conceptual shift signalled by using 'relatedness' instead of 'kinship' (Janet Carsten, cultural approach)?

'Relatedness' avoids assuming a biological core to kinship and foregrounds the locally meaningful, everyday processes (sharing food, substance, residence, care) through which people become kin—emphasizing culture over biology.