Suchergebnisse

Heady draws on both participant observation and interviews with older informants to trace the effects of recent exogenous technological and institutional changes, and the way local people have responded to them. His findings relate to such themes of recent history as nationalism, regionalism and anti-clericalism; and contribute to the theoretical debate on the relevance of structuralist anthropology to European societies

Godparenthood is a distinctive form of ritual kinship associated with Christianity—most strongly developed in Catholic and Orthodox societies. There is general agreement among researchers that it is important both subjectively and practically. Nevertheless, the underlying logic of the system remains rather elusive—since the usual explanations, in terms of either patronage or religious belief, receive rather limited support from the data. Ethnographic evidence shows that the dyadic and triadic relationships of god(co)parenthood often involve neither practical patronage nor spiritual guidance. It is clear that a satisfactory explanation of godparenthood needs to go beyond these surface functions: the question is how? In this article, I argue that there are parallels between god(co)parenthood as it operates in Catholic Europe and the sacralization of kinship ties in segmentary lineage systems found in other parts of the world. In both cases, sacralized kinship ties link individuals to encompassing kinship categories which can also be localized in appropriate ways. I argue that this provides a cognitive framework in which kin-based and locally based cooperation can operate in a mutually sustaining fashion—and that the commitment to god(co)parenthood reflects the felt need for cooperation of this kind. To support this interpretation, I refer to fieldwork in northeast Italy. I also draw on historical and survey data to show that the interpretation is consistent with the history and geography of godparenthood within Europe.

Résumé kass : objectifs et programmation d'une recherche Le projet kass (Kinship and Social Security), financé par un programme européen de recherches, s'était fixé pour objectif de répondre à deux questions essentielles : jusqu'à quel point les parents s'entraident-ils et pourquoi ? Au plan théorique, il devait enrichir le débat politique en s'appuyant sur différentes perspectives anthropologiques, y compris la théorie évolutionniste de la coopération. Au plan méthodologique, le projet associait à une recherche ethnographique des entretiens approfondis standardisés concernant les réseaux de parenté. Cet article présente la méthodologie utilisée et en détaille les fondements théoriques.

Résumé La parenté en Europe aujourd'hui : modèles, perspectives, explications Cet article présente les résultats de l'analyse quantitative des réseaux en ce qui concerne l'entraide, la connaissance de la parentèle, et la concentration spatiale des liens de parenté. Il fait apparaître des différences entre les régions et entre les villes et les campagnes et montre qu'il existe un lien entre l'activité agricole et la force des liens de parenté. L'auteur analyse les conséquences de ces résultats en regard de diverses perspectives théoriques sur la parenté comme des changements contemporains concernant les modèles de parenté et de fécondité. Pour finir, il s'interroge sur les effets des savoirs tant qualitatifs que quantitatifs apportés par l'enquête kass dans la perspective de nouveaux développements théoriques sur la parenté.

The theory of exchange marriage has had a rather limited impact on the anthropology of Europe. Its relevance to European ethnography might increase if it were extended to include representations of marriage exchange between generational groups. An analysis of collective celebrations of kinship and courtship suggests that they express the principles of exchange marriage in a way that fits the corporate structure of many European villages. The celebrations draw on ecclesiastical and military symbolism, and the analysis has implications for our understanding of the relationship between popular attitudes to the Church, local community, and state. The results confirm the fruitfulness of combining interpretative and formal approaches to kinship analysis.