Short notes
Marriage
Marriage
Definition
Segmental division → society divided into birth-based groups.
Thinkers
- Philosophy for NEFA (1957) – Verrier Elwin
Definition
Definition
• Family is a biological–social unit
Example / case study
- over-consumption of resources → karma teaches restraint.
Thinkers
- 4. Evaluative Phase (1990–Present) (not Vidyarthi’s original)
Universality
Definition
Ethnicity refers to the manifestation of ethnic identity.
Laws Of Marriage
Definition
Marriage is a ritually recognised union between a man and a woman.
Thinkers
- Malinowski and Radcliffe-Brown can be quoted for functional importance.
Endogamy
Definition
Word “Casta” → Portuguese → means race/lineage.
Exogamy
Definition
Faced greater hardship in securing livelihood.
Example / case study
- Father & Father’s brother called by same term.
- Satrol Khap → First to allow inter-caste marriage.
- Boora Khap → anti-dowry & marriage expenditure minimum.
- Narwal Khap → helpline vs child marriage, feticide & gender violence.
Hypergamy
Definition
Marriage is a universal institution.
Thinkers
- • Formation of alliances (Levi-Strauss – Alliance Theory): Reduces inter-group conflict.
Hypogamy
Definition
Marriage is a universal institution.
Thinkers
- • Formation of alliances (Levi-Strauss – Alliance Theory): Reduces inter-group conflict.
Incest Taboo
Definition
Strict prohibition based on moral/religious grounds.
Thinkers
- Levi-Strauss – Alliance Theory: Incest taboo enables exchange of women; Creates networks of cooperation.
- A.R. Radcliffe-Brown — structural-functionalism: institutions function like organs to maintain social structure.
Type Of Marriage . Functions Of Marriage
Definition
Marriage is a ritually recognised union between a man and a woman.
Thinkers
- Malinowski and Radcliffe-Brown can be quoted for functional importance.
Monogamy
Definition
Due to his intervention → Baiga Chak reserve was created in Mandla district (M.P.).
Thinkers
- Philosophy for NEFA (1957) – Verrier Elwin
- Applied Anthro- Birhor Action Research Project – L.P. Vidyarthi
Polygamy
Definition
Marriage is a universal institution.
Polyandry
Definition
Hindu society allowed freedom of tribal practices.
Example / case study
- Yellamma – mother goddess of tribes, seen as incarnation of Parvati.
- Bhil story – integrated into Shiva-Parvati narrative.
- Khasas (UK) – polyandry linked to Pandavas.
Group Marriage
Definition
Marriage is a universal institution.
Marriage Regulations
Definition
Marriage is a universal institution.
Preferential
Definition
Biological anthropology studies human evolution, heredity, variation and adaptation using scientific methods, while recognising the influence of culture on biology.
Example / case study
- Andaman & Nicobar → Onge, Sentinelese, Shompens, Great Andamanese
Thinkers
- B.K. Roy Burman – tribal condition = like external colonization.
- Identified by K.S. Singh – “tribalism without tribes”.
Prescriptive
Definition
This is a phenomenon where the expression of a gene depends on which parent it was inherited from. Certain genes are "silenced" via DNA methylation during gamete formation.
Example / case study
- HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) genes. On Chromosome 6, genes A, B, and C are linked and almost always inherited as a single unit.
- Prader-Willi Syndrome occurs if a specific segment of Chromosome 15 is deleted from the paternal side, while Angelman Syndrome results if the same segment is deleted from the maternal side.
Thinkers
- Marriage as Exchange: Lévi-Strauss used the Purum case to argue that kinship is fundamentally a system for the reciprocal exchange of women between groups, which acts as a form of social communication.
- Challenge to Descent Primacy: While British anthropologists like Radcliffe-Brown emphasized descent groups (lineages/clans) as the primary basis of social structure, the Purum system proved that marriage alliances are equally fundamental.
Proscriptive
Definition
The Purum tribe of Manipur (an Old Kuki tribe) holds a landmark position in anthropological theory, primarily due to its distinctive prescriptive marriage system. First documented in detail by Prof. T.C. Das in his 1945 monograph, The Purums: An Old Kuki tribe of Manipur, the system became a central database for one of the most significant debates in kinship studies: Descent versus Alliance theory,.
Thinkers
- Marriage as Exchange: Lévi-Strauss used the Purum case to argue that kinship is fundamentally a system for the reciprocal exchange of women between groups, which acts as a form of social communication.
- Challenge to Descent Primacy: While British anthropologists like Radcliffe-Brown emphasized descent groups (lineages/clans) as the primary basis of social structure, the Purum system proved that marriage alliances are equally fundamental.
Marriage Payments
Definition
Establishes legal fatherhood of a woman’s children.
Bride Wealth
Definition
Wife is acquired by paying bride price.
Dowry
Definition
Definition (Srinivas, 1952): “The process by which a low caste, tribe or group changes its customs, rituals, ideology and way of life in the direction of a high and twice-born caste.”
Example / case study
- Satrol Khap → First to allow inter-caste marriage.
- Boora Khap → anti-dowry & marriage expenditure minimum.
- Narwal Khap → helpline vs child marriage, feticide & gender violence.
- 👉 Despite liberal steps(women akhadas, fund for athletics), male dominance persists → Khap = tradition + modernity mix.
Thinkers
- Yogendra Singh – Sanskritization = cultural camouflage for caste conflict.