The Book Analyzes The Kinship System Of A Major Human Society That Possesses An Ancient, Literate Civilization And A Tradition Of Analytical Thought.

Collects eleven written primarily by anthropologists and graduate students at Rice University focusing on a variety of complex kinship arrangements involving entanglements of nation, class, ethnicity, gender, and desire. Topics include reflections on relatives and relational dynamics in Trinidad; the public politics of intimacy in the Bloomsbury Group; and families of origin, families of choice, and class mobility. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

As reproduction is seen as central to kinship and the biological link as the primary bond between parents and their offspring, Western perceptions of kin relations are primarily determined by ideas about "consanguinity," "genealogical relations," and "genetic connections." Advocates of cultural constructivism have taken issue with a concept that puts so much stress on heredity as being severely biased by western ideas of kinship. Ethnosociologists in particular developed alternative systems using indigenous categories. This symbolic approach has, however, been rejected by some scholars as plagued by the problems of the analytical separation of ideology from practice, of largely overlooking relations of domination, and of ignoring the questions of shared knowledge and choice. This volume offers a corrective by discussing the constitution of kinship among different communities in South Asia and addressing the relationship between ideology and practice, cultural models, and individiual strategies.

These 12 chapters discuss the constitution of kinship among different communities in South Asia and addressing the relationship between ideology and practice, cultural models, and individual strategies. Chapters center around three topics: community and person, gender and change, and shared knowledge and practice. The volume as a whole contributes to the on-going debate on models of well-being within kinship studies. Contributors include anthropologists from Europe, Asia, and the United States. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR

United They Survive examines the relationship between rural elites and the impoverished majority in contemporary Bangladesh. This relationship is both demonstrated and reinforced by the traditional practices of dana-pana (giving-taking) and dan-khairat (redistribution) that operates between the classes. Showkat Khan argues that the culturally mandated redistribution of wealth from rich to poor is not only vital to the survival of most rural Bangladeshis but also determines the shape of local politics. Moreover, these redistributive practices instill a sense of unity among members of the village community, regardless of personal wealth or status. This book will have especially strong appeal for anthropologists, international social workers, scholars of South Asia, and community organizers in the United States and abroad.