Kinship

Kinship refers to the relationships between individuals based on blood ties, marriage, or social connections. It's a fundamental concept in anthropology and sociology, highlighting how families and societal structures are formed. Kinship determines roles, responsibilities, and inheritance within a group, influencing social organization and cultural practices. It can be classified into categories like consanguinity (blood relations), affinity (marriage relations), and fictive kinship (close relationships that aren’t based on blood or marriage). Understanding kinship helps in grasping how societies function and how people interact with one another across different cultures.