The Impact of Assisted Reproductive Technologies on Kinship and Marriage
Assisted reproductive technologies have has made different biological constellations of parentage and kinship possible.
kinship
Exogamy – The Practice of Marrying Outside of One’s Social Group
Exogamy is a widely practiced marriage custom whereby individuals marry outside of their social group. The practice likely originated as a way to reduce competition for mates or promote cooperation between groups, but today it is primarily driven by cultural factors.
Endogamy – The Practice of Marrying Within One’s Social Group
Endogamy is the practice of marrying within one’s social group and is still common in many cultures today. While the reasons for endogamy vary from culture to culture, the practice often results in strong social bonds and a sense of community.
Family Formation Processes – Discuss the shift from the traditional nuclear family to the contemporary, often increasingly, ‘unclear family’ (Simpson)
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, industrialisation in the Western world led to a shift from an agrarian to a “job” based economy, creating employment opportunities that resulted in a tectonic shift in the mechanics of influence within kinship systems in these societies and the associated family formation processes.
The impact of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) on Anthropology
The rise of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) have caused a seismic shift in the study of kinship in anthropology.
Bronislaw Malinowski, the Trobriand people and the Kula
In the early twentieth century the Trobriand people were the subject of an in-depth ethnographic study by Bronislaw Malinowski. The anthropologist lived on Mailu Island for several years. He learnt their language and interacted with the islanders daily. His stated aim was to understand the “imponderabilia of everyday life” in the tribe.
“Cultural values are a web of linked concepts, fixed in time and space.”
The cultural values of a specific society are interdependent and in a state of constant flux, evolving over time in reaction to advances in learning and technology or changes in the environment.
