Kinship system represents one of the basic social institutions. Kinship is universal and today it plays a vital role in controlling individual behavior and in maintaining social cohesion. The word kinship refers both to the study of the patterns of social relationships or more human cultures or it can refer to the patterns of social relationship among the people.
Definition of Kinship
In generally we can say that kinship is the bond of blood or marriage which binds people together in group.
According to Giddens, "Kinship comprises either genetic ties or ties initiated by marriage."
According to A.R.Radcliff Brown, “kinship is a system of dynamic relations between person and person in a community the behavior of any two persons in any of these relations being regulated in same way and to a greater or less extent by social usage”.
Characteristics:
- Kinship is social institutions.
- Kinship make by the marriage.
- It is binds people together.
- A dynamic relation.
Finally I told that kinship is simply the relations between kin that is persons related by real, putative or fictive consanguinity.
Types of Kinship
Every human society recognizes the existence of some kind of kinship system in the whole world. Today kinship plays a vital role in controlling individual behavior and in maintaining social cohesion. Kinship relations are based on blood ties and marriage. The relation based on blood, or marriage may be close or distant. The bond of blood or marriage which binds people together in group is called kinship.
Kinship bonds are of different types. They vary from society to society. Some types of kinship are mentioned below.
Kinship bonds are of different types. They vary from society to society. Some types of kinship are mentioned below.
On the basis of Blood and Marriage relationship kinds are divided into (i) Consanguineous and (ii) Affinal kins.
Consanguineous Kins
It is based on blood relations. This type of relationship exists between parents and their children and between the children of the same parents. This kind of kinship refers to a son, daughter, sister, parental uncle, etc. This type of kinship may be actual or supposed. In a polyandrous tribe the actual father of a child is unknown. An adopted child is treated as if it were one's own biologically produced child. Thus blood relationship may be established not only on biological basis but also on the basis of social recognition.
Affinal Kins
The term 'affinity' means relation by marriage. Thus Affinal kinship refers to the bond established only after marriage. Thus, marriage creates a host of relationships which are called Affinal kinship. The relationship of husband with wife, father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law etc. is of Affinal nature.
On the basis of nearness and distant relationship kins can be divided into three types - 1. Primary kin, 2. Secondary kin, and 3. Tertiary kin.
Primary Kins
The persons who are directly and physically close to one another are called primary kin. According to S.C. Dube, there are eight such relations. They include husband-wife, father-son, father-daughter, mother-daughter, mother-son, younger-elder sisters, younger-elder brothers, and brother-sister.
Secondary Kins
The secondary kins are those persons who are related through primary kin. Persons such as father's father, mother's father brother's daughter, father's sister, sister's husband are some of the secondary kins. The number of secondary kins came to 33 types.
Tertiary Kins
The tertiary kins are those persons who are the primary kin of the secondary kin. The kin of this kind include the husband's brother's wife, wife's brother's wife and the like.