Descent Theories of Kinship

Introduction to Descent Theories of Kinship

The evolution of kinship and its terminology has interested anthropologists since the 19th century, when the American anthropologist Lewis Henry Morgan developed his theory of kinship. Morgan held that kinship terminology used in nonliterate societies reflected a low level of culture and that the terminology common in civilized societies indicated an advanced stage of development. This theory was abandoned when the discovery was made that the limited number of kinship systems in use are found among both technologically simple and advanced peoples.

Some nonevolutionary theories see kinship terms as a result of culture borrowings and modifications, as a means of understanding aspects of the history of a particular society, or even as a linguistic phenomenon. The most common anthropological view, however, is a functional one that relates kinship terms to contemporary behavior. In this theory, the terms are considered tools for understanding the ties between-and values of-people in any given society.

Kinship is important in anthropological study because it is a universal phenomenon. It connotes certain basic human attachments made by all people, and it reflects the way in which people give meaning and ascribe importance to human interactions.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Descent Theories of Kinship in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Descent Theories of Kinship

In this Section

Descent, Descent systems, Descent Succession and Descent Theories of Kinship.