Urban Kinship Ties in South India: A Case Study

Abstract

extended kin relationships in urban contexts functional to the individual and the family? Are there differences in kinship ties that occur when controlling for caste and class? Joint-family oriented research tends to ignore these questions while traditional anthropological research on kinship concerns itself mainly with the principles of descent and alliance. Therefore, it is necessary for current research to recognize the significance of egobased kinship behavior for, in urban contexts, kinship does not operate at corporate or groups levels but rather operates instead at interactional levels among only selected groups of persons. The nonselectivity of kin characteristic of the traditional kinship organization, is not likely to operate (as will be shown later) in urban areas because here the organization of kinship ties tends to be based not on social expectations but on personal preferences. The present paper is an attempt to pursue this line of inquiry focusing on ego-based kin behavior in an urban context. Its major objec iv s are (1) to provide a general descriptive analysis of urban kin networks; (2) to point out that, in urban areas, kin relations are structured in terms of ego's likes and dislikes, and therefore, that kin interaction is a selective process; and (3) to suggest that there is a relationship between mutual aid and such social characteristics of the interactors as class and caste.