The Metamorphoses of Kinship

Name: The Metamorphoses of Kinship
Brand: Allen & Unwin
SKU: 9781788736626
Price: 36.99 NZD
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By Maurice Godelier

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Summary

The Metamorphoses of Kinship by Maurice Godelier explores the profound transformations in kinship structures amid the decline of marriage, rising divorce rates, and the changing nature of the nuclear family in the modern West. Godelier draws on humanity's vast experiences with descent systems, sexuality, and familial organisation, tracing Western conjugal and family traditions from the nineteenth century to today. Central to his analysis is the insight that neither man nor woman alone suffices to raise a child and that kinship relations remain foundational to society.
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Format: Paperback / softback

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The Metamorphoses of Kinship

$36⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for: students and scholars of anthropology, sociology, and social history, as well as readers interested in family studies and social change.

A masterwork of the anthropology of kinship by the heir to Levi-Strauss

A masterwork of the anthropology of kinship by the heir to Levi-Strauss

Description

With marriage in decline, divorce on the rise and the demise of the nuclear family, it is clear that the structures of kinship in the modern West are in a state of flux.

In The Metamorphoses of Kinship, the world-renowned anthropologist Maurice Godelier contextualises these developments, surveying the accumulated experience of humanity with regard to such phenomena as the organisation of lines of descent, sexuality and sexual prohibitions. In parallel, Godelier studies the evolution of Western conjugal and familial traditions from their roots in the nineteenth century to the present.

The conclusion he draws is that it is never the case that a man and a woman are sufficient on their own to raise a child, and nowhere are relations of kinship or the family the keystone of society.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised as a monumental and ambitious contribution to anthropology, this book ranks alongside the seminal works of Levi-Strauss and Meyer Fortes. Jack Goody describes it as a "blockbuster" and a "monument of scholarship" offering wide-ranging reflections on universal human experience. Robert H. Barnes highlights Godelier's revitalisation of kinship studies, emphasising its continued importance to understanding humanity. Wendy James calls it "a truly monumental work," underscoring its scholarly impact.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781788736626

Publisher: Verso Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 21 January 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Verso Books

Contributors:

Translated by Nora Scott

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 41.0mm

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 726g

Pages: 656

Collections

Education & Reference Maurice Godelier Non-Fiction

About the Author

Maurice Godelier is Professor of Anthropology at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales, Paris. His publications include Rationality and Irrationality in Economics, The Mental and the Material, The Making of Great Men, The Enigma of the Gift, In and Out of the West, and The Metamorphoses of Kinship.

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