Dividends of Kinship: Meanings and Uses of Social Relatedness (European Association of Social Anthropologists)

This collection reaffirms the importance of kinship, and of studying kinship, within the framework of social anthropology. The contributors examine both the benefits and burdens of kinship across cultures and explore how 'relatedness' is inextricably linked with other concepts which define people's identities - such as gender, power and history. With examples from a wide range of areas including Austria, Greenland, Portugal, Turkey and the Amazon, it covers themes such as: * how people choose and activate kin * leadership, spiritual power and kinship * inheritance, marriage and social inequality * familial sentiment and economic interest * the role of kinship in Utopian communes Dividends of Kinship provides a timely and critical reappraisal of the place of familial relations in the contemporary world. It will be of interest to undergraduates, postgraduates and academics in anthropology, and across the social sciences. Book Cover Half-Title Title Copyright Contents Contributors Preface Chapter 1 Introduction The revival of kinship studies: nostalgia or advancement? Local meaning and symbols Gender, reproduction and sexuality Practice, agency and personhood Kinship ‘at home’ Power, history and the ‘big picture’ From meaning to function (and back): an ‘instrumentalist’ agenda The chapters Acknowledgements Notes References Chapter 2 Choosing kin Anthropological models of Inuit kinship The setting Choosing kin Names, personhood and identity Kinship and the social organisation of subsistence References Chapter 3 Power and kinship in Shuar and Achuar society The flexibility of kinship Visions and powerful persons Kin, conflict and the construction of power Shamanic power Conclusions Acknowledgements Notes References Chapter 4 On the importance of being the last one Family structure Social stratification and social categories Marriage and transfer of property Transfer of the farm The social practice of transfer Ideology of descent versus ideology of the house The role of godparents ‘Marriage’ and the ‘house’ today Conclusions Acknowledgements Notes References Chapter 5 Kinship, reciprocity and the world market Patriarchy and the absorption of women’s labour Kinship as metaphor The business of reciprocity The morality of debt Informal economics Workers as kin Conclusions Notes References Chapter 6 Is blood thicker than economic interest in familial enterprises? The family company as a kinship symbol and the formation of the dynastic family The importance of sharing blood and of carrying on the family name Gender bias among the Portuguese financial elite Knowledge as the major legacy of the senior generation for the formation of successors The myth of the three generations in family firms: the Portuguese case Economic interests are thicker than blood in large familial enterprises Acknowledgements Notes References Chapter 7 ‘Philoprogenitiveness’ through the cracks Oneida Community Commune and family: born rivals? Longevity reassessed Hutterites Bruderhof communities Kibbutzim Monogamy and communal success Celibate communes Group marriage communes Alternatives to strict monogamy Conclusions Notes References Chapter 8 Concluding remarks Two strategies: inclusion and exclusion The road ahead Acknowledgements Notes References Index This Collection Reaffirms The Importance Of Kinship, And Of Studying Kinship, Within The Framework Of Social Anthropology. The Contributors Examine Both The Benefits And The Burdens Of Kinship Across Cultures And Explore How 'relatedness' Is Inextricably Linked With Other Concepts Which Define People's Identities, Such As Gender, Power And History. With Examples From A Wide Range Of Areas Including Austria, Greenland, Portugal, Turkey And The Amazon, The Book Covers Themes Such As How People Choose And Activate Kin; Leadership, Spiritual Power And Kinship; Inheritance, Marriage And Social Inequality; Familial Sentiment And Economic Interest; And The Role Of Kinship In Utopian Communes. It Will Be Of Interest To Undergraduates, Postgraduates And Academics In Anthropology, And Across The Social Sciences.--jacket. Choosing Kin : Sharing And Subsistence In A Greenlandic Hunting Community -- Power And Kinship In Shuar And Achuar Society -- On The Importance Of Being The Last One : Inheritance And Marriage In An Austrian Peasant Community -- Kinship, Reciprocity And The World Market -- Is Blood Thicker Than Economic Interest In Familial Enterprises? -- 'philoprogenitiveness' Through The Cracks : On The Resilience And Benefits Of Kinship In Utopian Communities. Edited By Peter P. Schweitzer. Based On Papers Delivered At A Workshop Held At The 4th Easa Conference In Barcelona, July 1996. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Annotation This collection reasserts the importance of kinship, and of studying kinship, within the framework of social anthropology. The contributors look at both the benefits and burdens of kinship across cultures, and examine how "relatedness" is inextricably linked with other concepts which define people's identity -- such as gender, power and history. The contributors look at constructions of heredity and relatedness in a wide range of areas, including Greenland, Turkey, Portugal and across South America. Taking a theoretically-informed approach, they examine contentious themes, such as the relationship of communal living to concepts of kinship, and differences between rural and urban conceptions of the family. This volume provides a long overdue, critical reappraisal of the place of familial relations within the contemporary world This collection reaffirms the importance of kinship, and of studying kinship, within the framework of social anthropology with examples from areas such as Austria, Greenland, Portugal, Turkey and the Amazon. At the end of the twentieth century, the complex career path of one of anthropology's most famous domains of inquiry - kinship - is about to take another unexpected turn.