KINSHIP SYSTEMS AND SOCIAL ORGANISATION

Kinship Systems be considered a “Natural” form of Social Organisation

Kinship Systems be considered a “Natural” form of Social Organisation

Introduction

Social organisation founded on kinship system was and is the most important in recognising the processes of culture and in organising institutions. The aim of this essay is to study the extent should kinship systems be considered a “natural” form of social organisation. In order to do so, it is important to shed light on kinship system, and social organisation then extent is discussed.

Discussion

In human society, kinship system is one of the universals as it has an essential and significant role in both the formation of social groups and regulation of behaviour. The basis of kinship systems are cultural implementation and social recognition of relations derived from marriage and descent and usually engages several terms of kinship and related set of behavioural attitudes and patterns that, in collaboration keep them intact. Societies are classified based on relationship categories by consanguinity or descent, and almost all societies are distinct in terms of relationship, it is convenient to broaden the kinship definition to include both types (Wilcox, 2011, pp.82-380). The ensuing social relations network can comprise of all entire social structure in a moderately small component of a highly multifaceted structure or some of the simpler communities. In both of these cases, the marriage and kinship system has a vital role in keeping and upholding the solidarity and cohesion, along with familiarizing all members of the society in the social maze. The term system entails that there is a multifaceted interdependent relation present between the parts: categories of society and the related duties and rights.

Societies have different kinds of kinship systems based on various characteristics, such as (a) degree to that affinal and genealogical relationships are identified for social motives; (b) the manners in which family members so recognised are grouped or classified in social categories; (c) certain traditions or customs through which the behaviour of these family members is regulated in everyday life; (d) several obligations and rights that are interceded by kinship; and (e) forms of linguistic that are exploited to signify several forms of kin. At times, the kinship domain is apparently marked off; however, there are usually symbolic and other extensions that formulate interrelated systems or sub-systems (Haviland, 2013, pp.60-115).

Categories of kinship grounded in several societies often intersect the differences that appear reasonable in European and American societies. Latterly, ego's ancestors such as children, grandparent, grandchildren and parents are set off from the collateral aunts and uncles, and the family members through the mother and father are considered in parallel fashion. However, in several societies across the world countries the terms for sisters, brother, mother and father, and alike can be broadly broadened despite being confined to the immediate group of the family. In few cases, generation is the basis of this extension; the term for father also includes male cousin and brothers to the extent that genealogical relatives are not forgotten, and ...