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Kinship Ties and Social Networks: Kinship by Blood

We do not live alone in society. From birth until death, we are surrounded by many people. Most of these people are our
relatives, friends, and neighbors, while some are strangers. We are bound to all individuals who are related to us either by
blood or by descent.

Kinship Ties and Social Networks


The relations based on blood may be close or distant. The bond of blood which binds people together in a group is
called kinship.

 According to the Dictionary of Anthropology, kinship system involves socially recognized relationships based on
supposed and actual genealogical bonds. These relationships are products of social interactions and are
recognized by society.
 In a broader sense, kinship can refer both to the patterns of social relationships themselves and to the study of
the patterns of social relationships in one or more human cultures.
 Kinship or relationship can also refer to a principle by which people or groups of individuals are organized into
roles, social groups, categories, and genealogy through kinship terminologies.
 On the other hand, a social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (individuals or
organizations), sets of a partner or dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. It represents
relationships and flows between people, groups, and organizations.

The Filipino Concept of Kinship


 According to F. Landa Jocano, "Kinship characterizes the overall framework of community relations as it enables
Filipinos to map their relationships and be able to work together harmoniously. It lies deep in the heart of every
Filipino as it forms the core of the Filipino social organization. It significantly influences the formation, structure,
and functions of institutions, relationships, and values of the Filipinos."
 There is no generic Filipino term for kinship as each language group in the country created its terminology, but the
term kamag-anak or magkakamag-anak, from the Tagalog-based language, is widely used.
 Kinship helps Filipino people in understanding their relationships with others and be able to interact with each
other with little or without any difficulty.

Kinship by Blood or Consanguineous Kinship


 The bond of blood is called consanguineous kinship. The consanguineous kin is related through blood. The
relationship between the parents and their kids, and that among siblings, is consanguineous kinship.
 Thus, son and daughter, brother and sister, uncle and aunt, nephew and niece, and cousins are consanguineous
kin, that is, related through blood. With this connection, it can be pointed out that blood bond may be actual as
well as supposed.
 In polyandrous tribes, the real father of a child is unknown. An adopted child is treated as if it were one's own
biological child. As a result, blood relationship may be established not only on biological basis but also by social
recognition.

Genogram

 A genogram is a graphical representation of one's family and its members' relationship to one another.
 It is widely used in medicine, sociology, and genealogy to determine medical, psychological, sociological, or
historical patterns of health and behavior.
Below are the basic symbols used in making a genogram. You should know, however, that more symbols are available to
use for more complicated family relationships.

In making a genogram, make sure to note the following:

 children must be drawn from oldest to youngest and from left to right, respectively,
 one level or layer presents one generation, and
 the shapes corresponding to family members always represent sex, not gender.

Descent System
 A descent group is any social group wherein membership depends on a common descent from a real or mythical
ancestor. This system of acknowledged social parentage, which varies per society, is where a person may claim
kinship ties with another.
 If there is no limitation on the recognition of kinship, everybody would be kin to everyone else. But in most
societies, some restrictions are imposed on the perception of common ancestry so that an individual regards
many of his associates as not his kin.
 The importance of descent comes from its use as a means for one person to assert rights, privileges, duties, and
status with another person who may be related to the first, either because one is an ancestor of the other or
because the two acknowledge common ancestors.
 Descent has limited influence when rights to succession, inheritance, or residence follow kinship lines.

One method of limiting the recognition of kinship is to emphasize relationships through one parent only. Such is called
a unilineal kinship system. There are two types of this system−patrilineal systems, in which relationships reckoned
through the father are emphasized, and matrilineal systems, in which relationships reckoned through the mother are
emphasized.

In a bilateral descent, all descendants of an ancestor enjoy membership of a common descent group by any combination
of male or female linkages.
Kinship Ties and Social Networks: Kinship by Marriage
 Marriage is a formal and legal union of two people as partners in life. It is the universal social institution that
promotes procreation and establishes the bonds that are the basis of the household, family, and kinship system.
 Marriage is a legally recognized social contract between two people, traditionally based on a sexual relationship,
and implying a permanence of the union. The statuses the spouses acquire go through from institution to
companionship that may endure and sustain in their life cycle (Burgess and Locke, 1945). They play
complementary roles to meet their material, sexual, emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs for their
survival.
 Marriage gives the offspring a position in society as he or she may be categorized as a legitimate son or
daughter. It establishes continuing connections between the kin of each party. It is always symbolically marked in
some way, usually a public ceremony.

Cross-cultural Marriage
A cross-cultural marriage is a marriage between two people from different cultures.

How does this happen? As they say, "Love is blind." It does not care about race, color, or culture. We see more and more
marriages of people from different cultures nowadays.

In marrying a person from the same country, distinct differences in family life, values, educational attainment, ideas, and
ways of living already exist. By comparison, marrying a person from a different country has even more differences.

Examples:

 A traditional Ifugao man is married to a liberated Catholic woman.


 A Japanese woman is married to an English man.

In a cross-cultural marriage, it is important to respect your spouse's native culture and deal with your differences in a
loving manner.

Here are some tips for avoiding challenges in cross-cultural marriage/relationships:

 embrace the opportunity,


 understand, respect, and compromise,
 get first-hand experience of each other's cultures,
 pass on both cultures to your children,
 think positively about your differences,
 maintain contact with family, and
 when possible, travel together.

Monogamy vs. Polygamy


By the number of spouses, a marriage can either be a monogamy or polygamy.
Post-marital Residency Rules
After marriage comes a new chapter in a couple's lives. One of the primary concerns couples usually are faced with is
where to live. Kinship system, economic concerns, and personal factors are among the determining factors for residency
among newlyweds. Although not a cultural certainty especially in this modern age, newly married couples opt to live with
existing households than establish their own. Now, comes the question: Whose family is favored or culturally prescribed?
Kinship Ties and Social Networks: Kinship by Ritual
Anthropologist and ethnographers sometimes call kinship by ritual as fictive kinship. The word means "fake" or "created
by imagination." This type of kinship is not false, but it is just that in this type of kinship, relationships among individuals
are based neither on blood ties nor by marriage.

 Kinship by ritual refers to relationships among individuals who recognize their associations and obligations
despite the absence of blood or marriage bonds. Fictive kinship may tie people together in ties of affection,
concern, obligation, and responsibility. Examples include adopted or surrogate families, brotherhood, sororities, or
peer groups.
 Kinship by ritual function is used in fictive kinship links for non-kinship purposes. Members of a brotherhood or
fraternity consider each other as brothers despite the absence of blood relations among them. Such act naturally
builds a harmonious relationship between them.

Look at the table below to know about some examples of ritual kinship.

Importance and Functions of Ritual Kinship in Society


Kinship by ritual is an essential social network for it is where a good relationship is built and strengthened. It has positive
contributions for shaping our old and new society. Kinship by ritual, in its various forms, serve many functions in the
community. It reinforces affinity or relationships within society by providing a framework for social interaction. Defined by
acts of sharing and support, it testifies "friends as family."

Below are specific functions of the different types of ritual kinship.


Kinship Ties and Social Networks: Family and the Household

Kinship are social relationships derived from universal experiences of mating, birth, and nurturance. Kinship means being
related to others. Being related to other people is something that is defined by culture and not necessarily determined by
biological relations.

A family is a socially recognized group, strengthened by the concept of kinship, where people are connected by blood,
marriage, or adoption, and where a caring relationship mainly occurs. Although kin group and family are not one and the
same, the family is actually one of the strongest kinship ties in our society.

The family has a very important role in society.

 It forms an emotional connection among people and serves as an economic unit of society.
 It is considered as the basic building block of society.
 It is the institution mostly responsible for the “achievement of adult satisfaction and social integration.” (Ross and
Sawhill, 1975)
 It is also responsible for the distribution of economic resources from those who earn them in the marketplace to
those who are dependent on those earnings. (Ross and Sawhill, 1975)

Functions of Family
The family as a form of kinship serves very important functions in society.

 It is the smallest unit that cooperates in production and distribution.


 It enables and promotes socialization processes for the youth.
 It creates alliances with other family units.
 It regulates sexual behavior.
 It provides care and protection.
 It is the foundation of social placement and social status.
 It gives emotional support and affection.

Types or Forms of Family


A family can be classified based on birth, marriage, nature of residence, ancestry, size, or nature of relations.

On the Basis of Birth

 family of orientation–the family into which a person is born and in which early socialization takes place
 family of procreation–the family that is formed through marriage and by having or adopting children.

On the Basis of Marriage

 polygynous family–a type of family consisting of one husband, and more than one wife, and all the children born
to all wives or adopted by each of them.; It is based on polygynous marriage.
 polyandrous family–a type of family consisting of one wife and more than one husband, and the children, either
born or adopted by each one of them; It is based on polyandrous marriage.
 monogamous family–the family consists of one husband and wife, including children, and is based on
monogamous marriage

On the Basis of the Nature of Residence

 family of matrilocal residence–a type of family where the wife remains in her mother’s household after reaching
maturity and brings her husband to live with her family after marriage
 family of patrilocal residence–a type of family where the husband remains in his father’s household while his
wife leaves her family to move in with him
 family of changing residence– a type of family where the family stays in the husband’s house for some time,
and moves to wife’s house, stays there for a period of time, and then moves back to the husband’s parents or
starts living in another place
On the Basis of Ancestry or Descent

 matrilineal family–a type of family where the ancestry or descent is traced through the female line or through the
mother’s side
 patrilineal family–a type of family in which the authority is carried down the male line, and descent is traced
through the male line or the father’s side

On the basis of size or structure

 nuclear or the single-unit family–a type of family consisting of a husband, a wife, and children (unmarried),
naturally-conceived or adopted; It is the nucleus of family structures. It is more or less an autonomous unit that is
not under the control of adults or elders of the family. It consists of two generations only. The adoptation of
children legally happen through an adoption process where the legal responsibilities and privileges of being a
parent or parents are transferred from the biological parents to adoptive parents.
 joint or extended family–a type of family that consists of three generations living together under the same roof,
and sharing the same kitchen or economic expenses; It consists of three nuclear families living together. In this
setup, aunts, uncles, and grandparents may live in a family of parents and their children.
 reconstituted or blended family–a type of family that is formed out of another relationship, otherwise known as
a step-family

On the Basis of the Nature of Relations

 conjugal family–a type of family made up of adults among whom sexual relationships exist; It refers to a family
system of spouses and their dependent children. The emphasis is placed on the marital relationship that exists
between spouses.
 consanguine family–a type of family where blood relation exists, or those who are consanguineal kin (e.g. a
family consisting of parents and children, or siblings)

Kinship and Household Dynamics


A household is a residential unit or dwelling that carries out economic production and consumption that coordinates work,
inheritance, child rearing, and provision of shelter. It is important to note that family and household are not one and the
same.

A household may be made up of a person, or persons, who lives in a shared space or dwelling. A household can be a
family household or a non-family household. It would mean that persons living in a household maybe related or unrelated.

Example of a non-family household: Two friends living in the same condominium unit are considered a household.

There are different kinds of households:

 nuclear household–a domestic group that contains one adult couple that may or may not have children,
 extended–a domestic group that contains more than one adult married couple, and
 single-person or single-parent–a domestic group that is composed of one adult person that may or may not
have children living with him or her.
Kinship Ties and Social Networks: Politics of Kinship
Politics of Kinship
 The idea that "blood is thicker than water” and similar concepts apply to politics. Kinship is the primary source of
political support and action in small or even bigger societies.
 Kinship alliances are naturally formed and traditionally remain a power bearer that dominates Filipino culture.
 An explanation for this phenomenon would be the family orientation of the Filipinos. For some reason, the
obligation to one's kinship group compels one to prioritize his or her family before the rest of society. This, from
time immemorial, has generated issues in power allocation in our community.
 Topics include political dynasty, padrino system, and the use of political power to build business empires or
personal gains.

Concepts of Power in Filipino Kinship Politics


Ideally, merit is the top qualification for any position of consideration, particularly in politics.Certain circumstances resulting
from the interplay of Filipino values, family, and power have influenced codes of honor on selection processes.

Here's a list of some of Filipino values which have affected the way we make decisions and view power.

Issues Concerning the Politics of Kinship


Kinship means family, which could mean the “world” to some people. Without a doubt, we place the family first on our list
of priorities, and there is nothing wrong with that, as long as you do not put public interest at stake.

Here is a list of issues concerning the politics of kinship.

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