Marriage and kinship in an island society

The volumes to be included in the series will be selected. on the basis of the richness of their empirical content and on the quality of their theoretical treatment. The publication of descriptive studies, presenting new data in uncharted fields, is not barred, but analytical studies based on fresh field data will be preferred. Monographs selected for inclusion in this series will be generally on limited and well-defined themes, and they will always present some unpublished empirical data. The views and opinions expressed in these publications are essentially those of their authors and they are not in any sense endorsed by the University of Saugar.

The first volume of this series, Matriliny and Islam, dealt with the coexistence of a matrilineal system of descent and a markedly patrilineal religion in the island society of Kalpeni (the Laccadives). The same society is analysed in this volume, the second of the series, in a broader perspective. While the emphasis is on kinship, a well-rounded ethnographic account of the society is presented. The treatment covers such area as the historical development of the society, the island's economic system, and the religion of the people. Marriage, descent, and patterns of residence are discussed at length. The volumes to be included in the series will be selected. on the basis of the richness of their empirical content and on the quality of their theoretical treatment. The publication of descriptive studies, presenting new data in uncharted fields, is not barred, but analytical studies based on fresh field data will be preferred. Monographs selected for inclusion in this series will be generally on limited and well-defined themes, and they will always present some unpublished empirical data. The views and opinions expressed in these publications are essentially those of their authors and they are not in any sense endorsed by the University of Saugar.

The first volume of this series, Matriliny and Islam, dealt with the coexistence of a matrilineal system of descent and a markedly patrilineal religion in the island society of Kalpeni (the Laccadives). The same society is analysed in this volume, the second of the series, in a broader perspective. While the emphasis is on kinship, a well-rounded ethnographic account of the society is presented. The treatment covers such area as the historical development of the society, the island's economic system, and the religion of the people. Marriage, descent, and patterns of residence are discussed at length.The methods and techniques used in field-work were mainly those conventionally regarded as belonging to anthro pology, but with a pronounced emphasis on how much and how often. To start with, a house-to-house sociological census was taken. Besides selected informants, a great number and variety of people were interviewed. A few Taravads were chosen for collecting data on the past and for the study of their functioning. as matrilineal groups, while some households and property groups provided the material for concentrated field-work. Genealogical charts contained a wealth of information, valuable clues, and checks and rechecks.

The work is divided into two parts. The first part sketches the broad historical and ethnographic background for the second part, which aims at an intensive study of the matri lineal social system of the islanders, covering the areas of: organisation and working of the various structural units in the society; customs connected with an individual's life-crises; kinship relationships; and the working of the institution of marriage.