Definition

Noun: 1. (Anthropology) The structured pattern of social relationships based on family ties within a specific culture. This includes the formal classification of relatives (kinship terminology) and the associated rights, duties, and expected behaviors between kin.

Usage

The term "kinship system" is used to describe and analyze the complex web of family relationships in a society from an anthropological or sociological perspective. It refers to the entire framework, not just biological connections.

Examples

• Anthropologists study the kinship system to understand inheritance, marriage rules, and social organization in a community.
• The kinship system of that culture distinguishes between maternal and paternal uncles using different terms.
• Changes in economic structure can lead to transformations in a society's kinship system.

Advanced Usage

• "To analyze/deconstruct a kinship system": To examine its component parts, such as terminology, descent rules (matrilineal, patrilineal), and alliance patterns.
  • The researcher aimed to analyze the kinship system to uncover its underlying logic.
• "The logic of a kinship system": The internal rules and principles that govern relationships and behaviors within the kin network.
  • Her work focuses on the symbolic logic of the kinship system.

Variants and Related Words

• Kinship (n): The state of being related by blood, marriage, or adoption; family relationship.
• Kinship terminology (n): The specific set of words used in a language to label different types of kin (e.g., "aunt," "uncle," "cousin").
• Descent system (n): The rules a culture uses to trace family lineage and affiliation (e.g., patrilineal, matrilineal).

Synonyms

• Family structure
• System of kinship
• Kin network framework

Related Concepts (Not Phrasal Verbs or Idioms)

• Affinal kinship: Relationships created through marriage (in-laws).
• Consanguineal kinship: Relationships based on biological descent (blood relatives).
• Fictive kinship: Socially recognized relationships that are not based on blood or marriage (e.g., godparents, close family friends addressed as "aunt" or "uncle").

Noun

1. (anthropology) the system of social relationships that constitute kinship in a particular culture, including the terminology that is used and the reciprocal obligations that are entailed