
This text examines the evolution of kinship and social structure. Keesing considers the importance of patrilineal descent and the permutations of descent systems, matrilineal and double descent, alliance systems, cognate descent and bilateral kinship as organizing principles. Relevant analogies and examples are used throughout.
This text investigates the structural mechanisms of kinship and how various descent systems organize human social life. Roger M. Keesing, a prominent anthropologist, synthesizes cross-cultural data to evaluate the functional and evolutionary significance of lineage. He provides a rigorous framework for understanding how societies manage social cohesion through diverse kinship models.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts recognize this work as a foundational text for students of social anthropology due to its clarity and systematic approach. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a standard reference for understanding complex kinship terminology.
Page Count:
177
Publication Date:
1975-01-01
Publisher:
Harcourt College Pub
ISBN-10:
0030128463
ISBN-13:
9780030128462
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