Dados Bibliográficos

Resumo

This paper presents a structural analysis of the kinship system and associated marriage rules of the Purum, a tribe of Manipur, India. Needham utilizes a formal method derived from Lévi-Strauss's structural anthropology to demonstrate how the Purum system, despite its apparent complexity, can be understood through a set of underlying binary oppositions and transformations. He focuses on the role of prescribed marriage with the mother's brother's daughter (MBD) and how this rule, along with other kinship classifications and associated behaviors, generates a dynamic social structure. The analysis reveals a cyclical pattern in which lineages exchange women, maintaining social cohesion and perpetuating the system over time. Needham argues that this structural approach provides a more rigorous and insightful understanding of kinship than traditional genealogical methods.

Referências Citadas