Suchergebnisse

Sarbeswar Sahoo, Pentecostalism and Politics of Conversion in India. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018, xviii + 205 pp. (Hardback). ISBN: 978-1-108-41612-2.

Matriliny has been a major family form in Kerala together with joint family living. This type of family has prevented the destitution of women, the aged and children whose parents are not alive. The trend in Kerala in favour of patriliny and the nuclear family type is highlighted here through two case studies from two vastly different social segments in Kerala: (i) a scheduled tribe population–the Kurichiyan–that has been constitutionally acknowledged as eligible for special safeguards due to its historical deprivations; and (ii) a community that occupied a superior position in the caste system and ritual dominance–the Thirumumbu, a Brahmin community. However the paper moves beyond the case studies that depict a transition away from matriliny and raises some issues that caution against any conclusion that the Kerala family has moved away from matriliny and the joint family to patriliny and the nuclear family. There have always been diverse family forms in Kerala and this continues to be so, although more unfavorable to women. New trends in Kerala society, especially domestic violence against women, lead one to question the relevance of the family as an institution. In considering the emerging trends, the paper concludes that the family in some form will continue, despite facing major challenges.