Marriage Incest Taboos
Marriage and incest taboos
Defining Marriage
Marriage is a sanctioned union between people that establishes certain rights and obligations between those people, their children, and their relatives (Ember & Ember, 2010). These rights and obligations may include many things, including the right to property, labor, childrearing and bearing, status, and home (Ember & Ember, 2010). These privileges and rights vary greatly from culture to culture. For example, in some cultures, women found guilty of certain crimes, like adultery, may be stoned to death; this was the case of a woman in northern Nigeria for example; (Haviland, et al., 2010). Marriage for many cultures is a social institution; thus many spend much time and energy maintaining this institution. However, in many parts of the world, marriage is marginal, and not central to establishing or maintaining the life of the family or society (Haviland et al., 2010). Marriage for many cultures has lost its traditional significance resulting largely from the "political economy, more balanced gender relations, and shared public benefits of the capitalist welfare states" (Haviland et al., 2010). So what significance does marriage have?
Universality of Marriage
Marriage as an institution has been a universal theory for centuries. However, the "unimportance of marriage as the major defining institution for establishing a family" has been a historical fact for centuries, and not unique to Europe alone (Haviland, et al., 2010; Ember & Ember, 2010). In fact, in the life of Nayar people of Kerala, who live in southwestern India, marriage has been something that carries marginal significance, and has for some time (Ember & Ember, 2010; Haviland et al., 2010). Among the Nayar in Kerala, a landowning warrior caste of people, kinsmen related to the family line own estates with blood relatives living together in large households where the males serve as managers. This culture is one where sexual liberties are demonstrated; although this has changed somewhat over time during the 20th century. Traditionally however, just before a girl experiences her first menstrual cycle, she endures a ceremony joining her to a ritual husband, which is a temporary union not necessarily involving sexual relations, and lasting only a few days (Haviland, et al. 2010).
According to Haviland et al., (2010), when a girl then becomes a woman, she then prepares for motherhood and becomes eligible for sexual activity; thus a woman enters into sexual relationships with a man that her family approves. This is typically a man that presents himself as fit for duty and interested in having relations with the girl. If this individual is approved, then this relationship becomes a formal relationship where a man must present her with gifts three times a year until that relationship terminates. The man is allowed in exchange for gifts to spend evenings with the woman. This is only a visiting husband however, and is not obligated to support the partner and is not obligated to live in the home; in fact the woman may have multiple "visiting partners" (Haviland et al., 2010). Each must present himself for approval, and must provide certain gifts to engender favors for the woman. It sounds a bit peculiar to those familiar with Western culture, but to the people living in Nayar, such practices are certainly welcome and considered normal, capable of maintaining the peace and harmony of village life.
This is a "version of marriage" that helps reduce any conflicts men in the village may have. Thus, looking at this culture, one cannot say a "universal theme" of marriage exists, looking at the theme of marriage evident among the Nayars. But, if one considers how common it is for people to live with their sexual partners in other cultures, the Nayar people are really no different from any other couple living with each other, enjoying sexual favors, and exchanging gifts. Partners often breakup, and then find new partners with which to live.
There are instances in which Nayar women become pregnant,...
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