UPSC Sociology Mains Syllabus
PAPER-II – INDIAN SOCIETY : STRUCTURE AND CHANGE
Part B – Social Structure
Systems of Kinship in India:
(a) Lineage and descent in India.
(b) Types of kinship systems.
(c) Family and marriage in India.
(d) Household dimensions of the family.
(e) Patriarchy, entitlements and sexual division of labour.
- The kinship system refers to a set of persons recognized as relatives, either, by virtue of a blood relationship technically called consanguinity, or by virtue of a marriage relationship or affinity, or by adoption.
- Kinship is not only a concept related to link individuals in terms of social relationships, but it is also used as a principle of succession, inheritance of
property, bifurcation and division. It can be a complex system which Malinowski has referred as ‘Kinship Algebra’.
TYPES OF KINSHIP
- Kinship systems are also classified on the basis of descent method used. When a descent criterion is restricted to males only, such kin are called ‘agnatic’ or patrilineal kin. When descent is traced through females, such kin are known as ‘uterine’ or matrilineal kin. Both of these are unilineal kinship groups. Kinship groups which include both male and females are called bilateral groups.
- Indological accounts also differentiate kin groups on the basis of various cultural notions as well. Sapinda group, sarika group, kula, gotra and so on are some of the kinship systems.
Murdock mentions two types of kinship terms to explain kinship behavior and analyze kinship interrelations – ‘terms of address’ and ‘terms of reference’. Term of address refers to the culturally patterned relationships among individuals. Terms of reference on the other hand indicate the linguistic symbols involved in the relationships. - They are also classified on the basis of the degree of kinship –
I. Primary Kin – Some relatives are very close, direct and near. For example – father, son, sister- brother, husband-wife. They are called primary kin. According to S C Dubey, there 8 such primary kin.
II. Secondary kin – They are primary kin of primary kin. According to Murdock, there are 33 secondary kin of a person.
III. Tertiary Kin – They are secondary kin of our primary kin and primary kin of our secondary kin. They can be of 151 types according to Murdock.
FUNCTIONS OF KINSHIP
- It set rules for governing the relationship between kin.
- It sets rules for marriage relationship between people and decides who can/cannot marry whom.
- It establishes rights and obligations of the members in all religious practices right from the birth to the death of person.
- It helps to maintain harmony between the relationships.
- It helps easy succession, transfer of property to descendants.
REGIONAL VARIATIONS IN KINSHIP SYSTEM
- Irawati Karve – a student of Ghurye – in her ‘Kinship Organization in India, 1952’ divided India into four cultural kinship zones based on many factors like – kinship terms, language, descent and inheritance, patterns of marriage and family, and other cultural values. She highlighted various similarities and dissimilarities in marriage
patterns, based on certain criteria as –She highlighted various similarities and dissimilarities in marriage patterns, based on certain criteria as : - Rule of Marriage – In North India, the kinship system is characterized by negative rules of marriage. The South Indian kinship system, on the other hand, is characterized by positive rules of marriage.
- Endogamy and Exogamy Rules – In North India, a marriage alliance links one family with an entirely new family and in fact one village with another village. Village exogamy is almost
universally practiced in North. In South India, most marriage alliances occur within a small kin group and the emphasis is laid on relationships on both the father’s and mother’s sides. Further, there is almost no territorial exogamy in South India. III. Matrilocal and Patrilocal – In some of the south Indian castes like Nayyars, there is a tradition of matrilocal. Similarly, among Khasi tribals of Meghalaya matrilineal and matrifocal kinship is popular. - Kinship Terminology – Following the composition of kinship groups, the kinship terminology in North India reflects the separation of kin related by blood from those related by marriage. While in South India, the kinship terminology emphasizes the symmetry of relationships between the affines.
