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As reproduction is seen as central to kinship and the biological link as the primary bond between parents and their offspring, Western perceptions of kin relations are primarily determined by ideas about "consanguinity," "genealogical relations," and "genetic connections." Advocates of cultural constructivism have taken issue with a concept that puts so much stress on heredity as being severely biased by western ideas of kinship. Ethnosociologists in particular developed alternative systems using indigenous categories. This symbolic approach has, however, been rejected by some scholars as plagued by the problems of the analytical separation of ideology from practice, of largely overlooking relations of domination, and of ignoring the questions of shared knowledge and choice. This volume offers a corrective by discussing the constitution of kinship among different communities in South Asia and addressing the relationship between ideology and practice, cultural models, and individiual strategies.
List of contents
List of Maps, Figures, and Tables
Preface
Introduction: Indigenous Models and Kinship Theories: An Introduction to a South Asian Perspective
Monika Böck and Aparna Rao
Part I: Community and Person
Chapter 1. We, the Brothers of Tiger and Bamboo: On the Notions of Person and Kin in the Eastern Hills of Nepal
Charlotte Hardman
Chapter 2. Village Bodies? Reflections on Locality, Constitution, and Affect in Rajasthani Kinship
Helen Lambert
Chapter 3. Blood, Milk, and Mountains: Marriage Practice and Concepts of Predictability among the Bakkarwal of Jammu and Kashmir
Aparna Rao
Chapter 4. Kinship, Creation, and Procreation among the Vagri of South India
Lukas Werth
Chapter 5. Nature, Nurture, and Kinship: Body Fluids and Experience in the Social Organisation and Identity of a Peripatetic People
Joseph C. Berland
Part II: Gender and Change
Chapter 6. Kinship and Gender Identity: Some Notes on Marumakkathayam in Kerala
Marion H.G. den Uyl
Chapter 7. Habitus and its Implications in Constructing Kinship Ties: Data from a Bangladesh Settlement in Britain
Sultana M. Khanum
Chapter 8. Kinship and Marriage in the Construction of Identity and Group Boundaries among Indians in Mauritius
Oddvar Hollup
Part III: Shared Knowledge in Practice
Chapter 9. Theatre of Memory: Ritual Kinship Performances of the African Diaspora in Pakistan
Helene Basu
Chapter 10. Kinship as Anger: Relations of Resentment in Kalasha Divination
Peter Parkes
Chapter 11. Marriage Strategies in Lahore: Projections of a Model Marriage on Social Processes
Michael Fischer and Wenonah Lyon
Chapter 12. Power and Fertility: Divine Kinship in South India
Anthony Good
Epilogue
Sylvia Vatuk
Notes on Contributors
Index
About the author
Aparna Rao (1950-2005) was Research Associate,Department of Anthropology, Cologne University, Germany.
Summary
As reproduction is seen as central to kinship and the biological link as the primary bond between parents and their offspring, Western perceptions of kin relations are primarily determined by ideas about "consanguinity," "genealogical relations," and "genetic connections."
Additional text
"I would advise everybody who is interested in new directions in anthropological theory on kinship to read this volume; they could find remarkable observations that would be useful for their own research."����L'Homme
"[This volume] offers a nuanced exploration of the complexities of the ideology and practice of kinship in this diverse region ... which will be especially useful for graduate students. It also has the potential to serve as a valuable resource for students and scholars investigating kinship outside of South Asia."����Folklore Bulletin
