Why is it important for anthropologists to understand the kinship descent and family relationships that exist in the cultures they study?

  • School Salt Lake Community College
  • Course Title ANTH 1010
  • Pages 3
  • Ratings 100% (2) 2 out of 2 people found this document helpful

This preview shows page 1 - 2 out of 3 pages.

Charles PerschonAnth 1010September 10, 2019James DykmanCh 8 Marriage FamilyWhy is it important for anthropologists to understand the kinship, descent, andfamily relationships that exist in the cultures they study? In what ways can familyrelationships structure the lives of individuals?

Get answer to your question and much more

Upload your study docs or become a

Course Hero member to access this document

Upload your study docs or become a

Course Hero member to access this document

End of preview. Want to read all 3 pages?

Upload your study docs or become a

Course Hero member to access this document

Tags

marriage family, James Dykman, Charles Perschon

Table of Contents

  • 1 Why is it important for anthropologists to understand the family relationships that exist in the cultures they study?
  • 2 Why is it difficult to separate the social from the cultural?
  • 3 How do anthropologists understand the concept of a family?
  • 4 What is family according to anthropologist?
  • 5 What is the belief that one’s country and culture is superior to another?
  • 6 What are the rules for keeping in touch with grandchildren?
  • 7 What’s the rule of sharing grandkids with others?
  • 8 How to talk to grandchildren about the divorce?

Why is it important for anthropologists to understand the kinship, descent, and family relationships that exist in the cultures they study? Status and role define the position of people within the family as well as the behaviors they are expected to perform.

Society, according to what we know so far, is any group of people who tend to share the same region, biological and cultural characteristics and have the same system of behavior and action. Therefore, society cannot separate from its own culture simply because the culture makes it what it is.

What makes someone apart of a culture?

Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts. Thus, it can be seen as the growth of a group identity fostered by social patterns unique to the group.

How do anthropologists understand the concept of a family?

For anthropologists, a status is any culturally-designated position a person occupies in a particular setting. Within the setting of a family, many statuses can exist such as “father,” “mother,” “maternal grandparent,” and “younger brother.” Of course, cultures may define the statuses involved in a family differently.

What is family according to anthropologist?

Anthropologists generally classify most family organizations as matrifocal (a mother and her children); patrifocal (a father and his children); conjugal (a wife, her husband, and children, also called the nuclear family); avuncular (for example, a grandparent, a brother, his sister, and her children); or extended ( …

Can you separate society and culture?

Culture is what differentiates one group or society from the next. A culture represents the beliefs and practices of a group, while society represents the people who share those beliefs and practices. Neither society nor culture could exist without the other.

What is the belief that one’s country and culture is superior to another?

Ethnocentrism is a belief in the superiority of your own culture. It results from judging other cultures by your own cultural ideals. Ethnocentrism is linked to cultural blind spots.

What are the rules for keeping in touch with grandchildren?

Rule #1: You’re responsible for staying in touch. Whether they’re halfway through college or just starting kindergarten, one of the biggest complaints we hear about grandchildren is that they just don’t reach out. It’s a kid thing, not necessarily exclusive to the current generation.

Are there any rules for being a grandparent?

Rule #9: There are no rules. Grandparenting changes from generation to generation; you’re different from your grandparents, and your grandchildren will differ greatly from their own grandchildren. And while experience and history offer some guidance, all we can ultimately do is confront the challenges in front of us at any given time.

What’s the rule of sharing grandkids with others?

Rule #5: Share the grandkids with others. When a grandchild is born, you want that baby all to yourself, and probably always will. But there are other grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and more to think about. Sharing can be hard.

How to talk to grandchildren about the divorce?

When speaking about the divorce or their other parent, keep the conversation positive or, at the very least, neutral. Don’t pry your grandchildren to give you information about what they’re observing concerning the divorce.

Why is it important for anthropologists to understand the kinship?

The study of kinship is central to anthropology. It provides deep insights into human relationships and alliances, including those who can and cannot marry, mechanisms that are used to create families, and even the ways social and economic resources are dispersed within a group.

Why it may be important for anthropologists to understand the family descent and kinship relationships within the cultures they study?

Kinship groups may also control economic resources and dictate decisions about where people can live, who they can marry, and what happens to their property after death. Anthropologists use kinship diagrams to help visualize descent groups and kinship.

Why is the study of family important in anthropology?

Families provide both economic and social support for its members. It is the primary group responsible for rearing children and is where the enculturation process begins (enculturation refers to the process of learning the culture we are born into).

Why is it important to know something about the kinship systems in other cultures?

In order to understand social interaction, attitudes, and motivations in most societies, it is essential to know how their kinship systems function. and age. Kinship also provides a means for transmitting status and property from generation to generation.