Distant Kin Research Articles

‘I am afraid to fly there’: informal care in Polish migrants’ families immobilised by COVID-19

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the COVID-19 pandemic as a new external challenge to transnational family life that can undermine the care arrangements and intentions developed by the families of Polish migrants following the 2004 EU enlargement. The pandemic, associated lockdowns and travel restrictions raise questions about assumed transnationalism, building upon earlier concerns about taking for granted migrants’ cross-national mobility. Based on focus group discussions with Polish grandparents conducted in July 2020 and March 2021, we analyse the pandemic’s impact on intergenerational relations with both geographically close and distant kin. We point to perceptions of risks of COVID-19 associated with ethnicised stereotypes and evolving with time. While the pandemic caused temporary restrictions to mobility, it shows the immobilising side of “unsettling events”], the consequences of which, for privileged EU migrants, will unfold in time as their parents’ age and require personal care.

Explaining mobilization for revolts by private interests and kinship relations. A comment on Armandola, Doehne and Rost

The authors study the role of kinship relationships in explaining mobilization for a revolt in Basel, Switzerland, in 1691; rebels consisted of a weaker fraction of the elite and individuals with citizen rights. The empirical section shows that revolts are mainly driven by the elite’s distant kin rather than the rebels’ close kin. Allowing for coalition formation, as in the new theory of corruption, conflict, and inequality proposed in this comment, can give an alternative explanation. In the first formal model, we assume “elite” corresponds to the term “enforcer” in the new theory. This is a nonproductive individual who is the strongest in terms of fighting against peasants over a prize in a contest. In this simple model, there are no other players. Thus, this framework predicts that the only rebels would come from within the elite. Historical evidence shows that the marginal elite got stronger relatively and, thus, excluded the oligarchy from the winning coalition to take over the government. The direct application of this model would imply that non-elite members were not part of the rebellion. However, the historical facts presented by Armandola et al. show that non-elite citizens also participated in the revolt. To match these facts in Armandola et al., we allow informally individuals with citizen rights to participate in the rebellion. Peasants, a term also used in the new theory, and marginalized groups (a term only used in the commented paper) in the cities did not participate. Kinship effects are discussed.

Explaining mobilization for revolts by private interests and kinship relations.

Mobilization for revolts poses a significant challenge for rational choice theory because revolts are vulnerable to free-riding, which disincentivizes rational actors from mobilizing. Strong, informal relations such as kinship ties have been identified as factors that can shift the rational calculations of individuals and lead to mobilization for revolts. In social networks that are polarized by the presence of mobilized individuals, such as rebels, and actors opposing the mobilization effort such as the elite, kinship relations have not only a bridging effect but also a diverging one. Building on Tullock's private interest theory, we develop a framework in which kinship relations determine the extent of individual's payoffs and costs of mobilization for revolts against an elite. We posit that distant kin of the elite expect high payoffs of mobilization for revolts and face the lowest costs of mobilization for revolts by virtue of their position in the network of kinship relations. Using a unique, hand-collected dataset that reconstructs a revolt in Basel, Switzerland, in 1691, we test our framework and contribute to a better relational understanding of the mechanisms that lead rational actors to mobilize for revolts. Our analyses show that mobilization for revolts is mainly driven by distant kinship relations to the ruling elite rather than close kinship relations to the rebels.

Kin selection favors religious traditions: ancestor worship as a cultural descendant-leaving strategy

ABSTRACT Recent years have seen renewed interest in the role of religious systems as drivers of the evolution of cooperation in human societies. One suggestion is that a cultural tradition of ancestor worship might have evolved as a “descendant-leaving strategy” of ancestors by encouraging increased altruism particularly between distant kin. Specifically, Coe and others have suggested a mechanism of cultural transmission exploiting social learning biases, whereby ancestors have been able to establish parental manipulation of kin recognition and perceived relatedness as a traditional behavior, leading to increased altruism among co-descendants and thereby maximizing the ancestor’s long-term inclusive fitness. Here, we develop a demographically explicit model in order to quantify the resulting increase in altruism and concomitant “ancestor-descendant conflict”, and to determine the evolutionary feasibility of religiously motivated cultural norms that promote altruism among co-descendants. Our analysis reveals that such norms could indeed drive an overall increase in altruism with potential for ancestor-descendant conflict, particularly in low-dispersal settings. Moreover, we find that natural selection can favor traditions encouraging increased altruism towards co-descendants under a range of conditions, with the inclusive-fitness costs of enacting an inappropriately high level of altruism being offset by inclusive-fitness benefits derived from the cultural tradition facilitating kin recognition.

Auto-Ethnography of Imagined Diasporic Lives Self-Reflexive Analysis of the Left Behind Perspective in a Migrant Family

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the imaginary about migrant kin destinations and the lives of the family members left behind. It reflects on the mechanisms of connection to places the subject has never been that knows through stories told by people whom themselves have never been but have experienced separation and loss as remaining behind in a family characterized by a history of emigration. Through self-reflexive auto-ethnography, this article focuses on the development of virtual ties to imagined places through the establishment of emotional geographies in the second generation left behind. The paper engages with the theorization of two stages in the lives of those who remain in the homeland: (In)-decision to stay, (Re)-solution to stay, which can result in Hesitation about staying in second generation left behind and eventually can lead to an Exit-action. Applying the concept of ‘familial habitus’, it demonstrates how in belonging to a family affected by displacement, stories about distant kin operate as living entities that form bonds with people, places, events with which the subject is unfamiliar. The social remittances provided through visits back can enhance the left behind exitus and emancipation opening for a potential liminoid experience of break with the limitations of patriarchal culture.

Experiences and support needs of informal long-distance caregivers at the end of life: a scoping review

ObjectivesThere is a lack of research on the specific experiences and needs of geographically distant kin caregivers in end-of-life situations. Clinicians and researchers would benefit from a systematic overview. The...

Kinship and similarity drive coordination of breeding-group choice in male spotted hyenas.

When and where animals reproduce influences the social, demographic and genetic properties of the groups and populations they live in. We examined the extent to which male spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) coordinate their breeding-group choice. We tested whether their propensity to settle in the same group is shaped by passive processes driven by similarities in their socio-ecological background and genotype or by an adaptive process driven by kin selection. We compared the choices of 148 pairs of same-cohort males that varied in similarity and kinship. We found strong support for both processes. Coordination was highest (70% of pairs) for littermates, who share most cumulative similarity, lower (36%) among peers born in the same group to different mothers, and lowest (7%) among strangers originating from different groups and mothers. Consistent with the kin selection hypothesis, the propensity to choose the same group was density dependent for full siblings and close kin, but not distant kin. Coordination increased as the number of breeding females and male competitors in social groups increased, i.e. when costs of kin competition over mates decreased and benefits of kin cooperation increased. Our results contrast with the traditional view that breeding-group choice and dispersal are predominantly solitary processes.

Female cooperative labour networks in hunter-gatherers and horticulturalists.

Cooperation in food acquisition is a hallmark of the human species. Given that costs and benefits of cooperation vary among production regimes and work activities, the transition from hunting-and-gathering to agriculture is likely to have reshaped the structure of cooperative subsistence networks. Hunter-gatherers often forage in groups and are generally more interdependent and experience higher short-term food acquisition risk than horticulturalists, suggesting that cooperative labour should be more widespread and frequent for hunter-gatherers. Here we compare female cooperative labour networks of Batek hunter-gatherers of Peninsular Malaysia and Tsimane forager-horticulturalists of Bolivia. We find that Batek foraging results in high daily variation in labour partnerships, facilitating frequent cooperation in diffuse networks comprised of kin and non-kin. By contrast, Tsimane horticulture involves more restricted giving and receiving of labour, confined mostly to spouses and primary or distant kin. Tsimane women also interact with few individuals in the context of hunting/fishing activities and forage mainly with spouses and primary kin. These differences give rise to camp- or village-level networks that are more modular (have more substructure when partitioned) among Tsimane horticulturalists. Our findings suggest that subsistence activities shape the formation and extent of female social networks, particularly with respect to connections with other women and non-kin. We discuss the implications of restricted female labour networks in the context of gender relations, power dynamics and the adoption of farming in humans. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cooperation among women: evolutionary and cross-cultural perspectives'.

A thelytokous predatory mite is more cannibalistic towards distant kin.

Kin recognition has been widely observed in various taxa. Cannibalism avoidance may be a strong driver for the evolution of kin recognition, as it may avoid a reduction in inclusive fitness. Kin recognition has recently been observed in a generalist phytoseiid, Amblyseius herbicolus (Acari: Phytoseiidae). This study experimentally examined the degree of relatedness needed between prey larvae and cannibal adults of A. herbicolus for the occurrence of kin discrimination. The adults were individually placed in enclosed arenas with two prey, a daughter and a more distant related larva, to observe their cannibalizing choice. The adults of A. herbicolus did not discriminate between close relatives (daughter versus niece) but preferably cannibalized more distant kin (i.e., first and second cousins once removed). Phenotype matching and familiarization seem prominent as recognition mechanisms used by A. herbicolus adults. The effect of learning on kin recognition through prior contact in A. herbicolus requires further investigation. Studies on other adaptive functions of kin recognition of A. herbicolus, such as cooperation and parental care, may provide meaningful insights.

The effects of genetic distance, nutrient conditions, and recognition ways on outcomes of kin recognition in Glechoma longituba.

Kin recognition might help plants decrease competitive cost and improve inclusive fitness with close genes; thus it might interact with environmental factors to affect communities. Whether and how various factors, such as the genetic distance of neighbors, environmental stressors, or the way a plant recognizes its neighbors, might modify plant growth strategies remains unclear. To answer these questions, we conducted experiments in which ramets of a clonal plant, Glechoma longituba, were grown adjacent to different genetically related neighbors (clone kin / close kin / distant kin) in different nutrient conditions (high / medium / low), or with only root exudates from pre-treatment in culture solution. By comparing competitive traits, we found that: (1) kin recognition in G. longituba was enhanced with closer genetic distance; (2) the outcomes of kin recognition were influenced by the extent of nutrient shortage; (3) kin recognition helped to alleviate the nutrient shortage effect; (4) kin recognition via root exudates affected only below-ground growth. Our results provide new insights on the potential for manipulating the outcome of kin recognition by altering neighbor genetic distance, nutrient conditions and recognition ways. Moreover, kin recognition can help plants mitigate the effects of nutrient shortage, with potential implications in agricultural research.

“You’re Always in Transit, but the House Stays”: Remitting, Restoring and Remaking Home in a Migrant Family House in Cuenca, Ecuador

ABSTRACT Unravelling the emotional and relational bases of migrant transnational housing is an emerging challenge for research on home, family and migration. Based on a house biography in Cuenca, Ecuador, this paper reconstructs how a transnational family strived to preserve their past house by renovating it as a bed-and-breakfast. Building on narrative and ethnographic fieldwork, we explore how far a house with a commercial purpose and no permanent dwellers reproduces a sense of “home”, and to the benefit of whom. We thereby connect this house biography to four societal questions: the retention of family memories, the interdependence between distant kin, the temporalities of housing and the commodification of the domestic. This fourfold analysis has fundamental implications for the meaning of home for migrants and for its interplay with housing, fixity and continuity, with an ultimate focus on what the house does, rather than on what it is.

CKMRpop: Forward-in-time simulation and tabulation of pairwise kin relationships in age-structured populations.

In the last five years, interest in close-kin mark-recapture (CKMR), a variant of mark-recapture that uses genetically inferred kin as 'recaptures', has grown dramatically. However, understanding the basis of CKMR, and properly implementing it, remains challenging. This paper describes an R package, CKMRpop, for simulating age-structured populations with user-specified demography, overdispersed variance in reproductive success (allowing for different ratios of effective to census size) and random sampling of individuals. Using compiled code for the simulation makes it feasible to simulate populations of millions of individuals. From the simulation output, pairs of sampled individuals related within a user-specified number of generations are found. Such pairs form the foundation for CKMR inference, and simulating them provides insight for understanding the statistical basis for CKMR and for assessing the feasibility of CKMR in different scenarios. We predict that CKMRpop will serve as an important tool for researchers contemplating CKMR estimation of population size. Furthermore, the methods presented here for identifying and categorizing relationships beyond half-siblings allow a more complete picture of the wide variety of kin pairs encountered in populations. This identifies the fraction of kin pairs that may not be the target of a CKMR experiment, but may be inadvertently mistaken for a more closely related 'target' kin pair. Additionally, as more distant kin categories will likely be accurately inferred from increasingly available and inexpensive whole genome resequencing, understanding the distributions of more distant relationships in populations is a first step towards broadening the scope of CKMR to include them.

Pedigree-based assessment of recent population connectivity in a threatened rattlesnake.

Managing endangered species in fragmented landscapes requires estimating dispersal rates between populations over contemporary timescales. Here, we developed a new method for quantifying recent dispersal using genetic pedigree data for close and distant kin. Specifically, we describe an approach that infers missing shared ancestors between pairs of kin in habitat patches across a fragmented landscape. We then applied a stepping-stone model to assign unsampled individuals in the pedigree to probable locations based on minimizing the number of movements required to produce the observed locations in sampled kin pairs. Finally, we used all pairs of reconstructed parent-offspring sets to estimate dispersal rates between habitat patches under a Bayesian model. Our approach measures connectivity over the timescale represented by the small number of generations contained within the pedigree and so is appropriate for estimating the impacts of recent habitat changes due to human activity. We used our method to estimate recent movement between newly discovered populations of threatened Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus) using data from 2996 RAD-based genetic loci. Our pedigree analyses found no evidence for contemporary connectivity between five genetic groups, but, as validation of our approach, showed high dispersal rates between sample sites within a single genetic cluster. We conclude that these five genetic clusters of Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes have small numbers of resident snakes and are demographically isolated conservation units. More broadly, our methodology can be widely applied to determine contemporary connectivity rates, independent of bias from shared genetic similarity due to ancestry that impacts other approaches.

Nasopharyngeal Epstein-Barr virus DNA loads in high-risk nasopharyngeal carcinoma families: Familial aggregation and host heritability.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), the most common head and neck cancer, is characterized by distinct geographic distribution and familial aggregation. Multiple risk factors, including host genetics, environmental factor, and EBV infection, have been linked to the development of NPC, particularly in the familial clustering cases. However, the cause of NPC endemicity remains enigmatic due possibly to the complicated interplay between these risk factors. Recently, positive Epstein‐Barr virus (EBV) DNA loads at nasopharyngeal (NP) cavity has been found to reflect NPC development and applied in NPC screening. To examine whether the increased NP EBV loads could aggregate in the families and be affected by host genetics and environmental factor, EBV loads were obtained by 510 NP brushing samples from eligible unaffected individuals, who have two or more relatives affected with NPC, in 116 high‐risk NPC families. The correlation of relative pairs was estimated using S.A.G.E. (version 6.4, 2016), and host heritability of NP EBV loads was calculated with variance component models using SOLAR (version 8.4.2, 2019). In result, significant correlations of EBV loads were observed between parent‐offspring pairs and sibling‐sibling pairs (P < .001), but not in distant kin relationship pairs. Interestingly, after excluding the shared environmental factor within families, host genetics contributes significantly to NP EBV loads with a heritability of 56.41% (P = 1.00 × 10−7), and its effect was slightly elevated (68.86%, P = 3.40 × 10−6) in families with more NPC cases (≥3). These findings indicate that additional host‐genetic variants involved in the EBV local NP mucosal behavior may be especially important for the development of NPC.

Plastic female choice to optimally balance (k)in- and out-breeding in a predatory mite

Both close inbreeding and extreme outbreeding may negatively affect direct fitness. Optimal outbreeding theory suggests that females should preferentially mate with distantly related males. (K)in breeding theory suggests that, at similar direct fitness costs of close inbreeding and extreme outbreeding, females should prefer close kin to non-kin. Empirical evidence of plastic female choice for an optimal balance between close inbreeding and extreme outbreeding remains elusive. We tested the combined predictions of optimal outbreeding and (k)in breeding theories in predatory mites Phytoseiulus persimilis from two origins, Sicily and Greece, which suffer from both close inbreeding and extreme outbreeding depression. In three separate experiments, virgin females were presented binary choices between familiar and unfamiliar brothers, and between familiar/unfamiliar brothers and distant kin or non-kin. Females of Greece but not Sicily preferred unfamiliar to familiar brothers. Females of both origins preferred distant kin to unfamiliar and familiar brothers but preferred unfamiliar brothers to non-kin. Females of Sicily but not Greece preferred familiar brothers to non-kin. The suggested kin recognition mechanisms are phenotype matching and direct familiarity, with finer-tuned recognition abilities of Greece females. Overall, our experiments suggest that flexible mate choice by P. persimilis females allows optimally balancing inclusive fitness trade-offs.

Migration, Aging, and Digital Kinning: The Role of Distant Care Support Networks in Experiences of Aging Well.

High rates of migration contribute to the dispersal of support networks across distance. For older adults reliant on informal care, this creates a high risk of increased social isolation. In this article, we highlight the role of communication technologies in maintaining support networks and identities across distance. Building on transnational family research and on anthropological notions of "kinning," we propose that processes of distant support can be better understood through the new concept of "digital kinning." A qualitative project conducted in Australia (2016-2019) with over 150 older migrants (55+) born in nine countries comprising ethnographic interviews and observations. Analysis comprised the inductive approach of ethnographic qualitative research and theory building from cases, drawn from grounded theory traditions. Select ethnographic cases illustrate the key dimensions and benefits of "digital kinning" for older migrants. Digital kinning practices support the access of older migrants to (i) essential sources of social connection and support, (ii) maintenance of cultural identity, and (iii) protection of social identity, including across distance. Their effectiveness is reliant on access to affordable and reliable digital communication tools. Although essential to the well-being of older migrants, distant support networks and the digital kinning practices that sustain them receive little attention from policy makers and health practitioners. Organizations concerned with the care of older people must improve awareness of distant support networks by supporting practices of "digital kinning," ranging from including distant kin in health care plans to prioritizing digital inclusion initiatives.

Testing adaptive hypotheses of alloparenting in Agta foragers.

Human children are frequently cared for by non-parental caregivers (alloparents), yet few studies have conducted systematic alternative hypothesis tests of why alloparents help. Here, we explore whether predictions from kin selection, reciprocity, learning-to-mother and costly signalling hypotheses explain non-parental childcare among Agta hunter-gatherers from the Philippines. To test these hypotheses, we use high-resolution proximity data from 1,701 child-alloparent dyads. Our results indicate that reciprocity and relatedness were positively associated with number of interactions with a child (our proxy for childcare). Need appeared more influential in close kin, suggesting indirect benefits, while reciprocity proved to be a stronger influence in non-kin, pointing to direct benefits. However, despite shared genes, close and distant kin interactions were also contingent on reciprocity. Compared to other apes, humans are unique in rapidly producing energetically demanding offspring. Our results suggest that the support that mothers require is met through support based on kinship and reciprocity.

Earning their keep? Fostering, children's education, and work in north-western Tanzania

Background: Fostering, raising children that are not one’s biological children, is common in many societies worldwide. Despite predicted lower investment in nonbiological offspring, numerous studies report no obvious well-being penalty for fostered children. Building on prior research, we suggest that fostering is incentivised by close relatedness between foster child and caregivers and that children’s work contributions can offset their costs to fostering households. Methods: We used multilevel logistic and fractional multinomial regression analyses to investigate the association between fostering, educational investment, and time allocation in a sample of 1,273 Sukuma children (aged 7–19) from northwestern Tanzania, where fostering is traditionally common. Results: Twenty-six per cent of children are fostered, with most having at least one living parent. Children fostered by close kin have similar educational outcomes to those living with both biological parents, though their grade for age is lower, perhaps reflecting differences in timing rather than overall level of investment. Those fostered by distant kin are less likely to be enrolled or to progress to secondary school. Overall, fostered children are more likely to do farm work; however on weekdays when work conflicts with school, differences in time allocation to work activities are not pronounced. We further find that orphans are generally not particularly disadvantaged compared to other fostered children. Conclusions: Being fostered by close kin does not appear to disadvantage children, and buffers orphans from parental death. Fostered children may offset some of their costs through increased farm work. Contribution: We extend previous work in this area through analysis of detailed time allocation data, providing insights into associations between fostering and children’s workload.

Zone of Inhibition: Relating to the Single Cell through Speculative Performance Practice

This article presents extracts from a short film - a speculative vital materialist tale that reaches beyond a human perception of time, to document a conversation between a past-present-future sentient community-being of cells and their kin, present day humans who are always already symbiotically and parasitically involved in their generation. The conversation took place during a participatory performance workshop held at ASCUS Lab in Edinburgh, 2017, where participants genetically modified E. coli bacteria to hold a thought (DNA with no known biological meaning, only cultural meaning) within their bodies, and were then invited to enter into a speculative dialogue with their distant cellular kin.

Female–male relationships influence the form of female–female relationships in olive baboons, Papio anubis

According to socioecological theory, ecological pressures acting on females play an important role in shaping social organization, dispersal patterns and the nature of female–female relationships. However, there has been relatively little consideration of how females' relationships with males may influence the nature of females' relationships to other females. Here, we show that female olive baboons form well-differentiated relationships with adult males and these ties influence their relationships with other females. As in other species of savanna baboons, female olive baboons show pronounced preferences for close kin, but related females do not often share the same top-ranked male partners. Shared associations with males bring females into more frequent contact with distant kin and nonkin. The combined effects of bringing distantly related and unrelated females together and separating close kin reduced the extent of nepotistic biases among females in the study groups compared to female yellow baboons, Papio cynocephalus, and chacma baboons, Papio ursinus. These data suggest that selective pressures acting on both females and males may influence the nature and function of female–female relationships.