Organization in Society

(02-02-2017)

Kinship Ties and Social Networks:

Kinship by Blood
Objectives
At the end of the lesson you should be able to:
define kinship and social network,
explain the Filipino concept of kinship,
discuss the concepts surrounding kinship by blood
and descent, and
trace your own ancestry by blood up to the third
degree.
Guide Questions
How can you be sure that blood relates you to your
ancestors?
How do you draw the line between descent and
ancestry?
Learn about it!
Kinship Ties and Social Networks
The relations based on blood may be close or
distant. The bond of blood which binds people
together in a group is called kinship.
According to the Dictionary of Anthropology,
kinship system involves socially recognized
relationships based on supposed and actual
genealogical bonds. These relationships are
products of social interactions and are recognized
by society.
 Kinship can refer both to the patterns of social
relationships themselves and to the study of the
patterns of social relationships in one or more
human cultures.
Kinship or relationship can also refer to a principle
by which people or groups of individuals are
organized into roles, social groups, categories, and
genealogy through kinship terminologies.
On the other hand, a social network is a social
structure made up of a set of social actors
(individuals or organizations), sets of a partner or
dyadic ties, and other social interactions between
actors.
The Filipino Concept of Kinship
According to F. Landa Jocano, "Kinship characterizes
the overall framework of community relations as it
enables Filipinos to map their relationships and be
able to work together harmoniously. It lies deep in
the heart of every Filipino as it forms the core of the
Filipino social organization. It significantly influences
the formation, structure, and functions of
institutions, relationships, and values of the
Filipinos."
Kinship helps Filipino people in understanding their
relationships with others and be able to interact with
each other with little or without any difficulty.
Kinship by Blood or Consanguineous Kinship
The bond of blood is called consanguineous
kinship. The consanguineous kin is related
through blood. The relationship between the
parents and their kids, and that among siblings, is
consanguineous kinship.
son and daughter, brother and sister, uncle and
aunt, nephew and niece, and cousins are
consanguineous kin, that is, related through
blood. With this connection, it can be pointed out
that blood bond may be actual as well as
supposed.
A genogram is a graphical representation of one's
family and its members' relationship to one
another.
It is widely used in medicine, sociology, and
genealogy to determine medical, psychological,
sociological, or historical patterns of health and
behavior.
 the basic symbols used in making a genogram.
In making a genogram, make sure to note the
following:
children must be drawn from oldest to
youngest and from left to right, respectively,
one level or layer presents one generation,
and
the shapes corresponding to family members
always represent sex, not gender.
Descent System
A descent group is any social group wherein
membership depends on a common descent from
a real or mythical ancestor. This system of
acknowledged social parentage, which varies per
society, is where a person may claim kinship ties
with another.
The importance of descent comes from its use as
a means for one person to assert rights,
privileges, duties, and status with another person
who may be related to the first, either because
one is an ancestor of the other or because the
two acknowledge common ancestors.
 One method of limiting the recognition of kinship
is to emphasize relationships through one parent
only. Such is called a unilineal kinship system.
There are two types of this system
1. patrilineal systems, in which relationships
reckoned through the father are emphasized,
and
2. matrilineal systems, in which relationships
reckoned through the mother are emphasized.
In a bilateral descent, all descendants of an
ancestor enjoy membership of a common
descent group by any combination of male or
female linkages.
Key points
Kinship can refer both to the patterns of social
relationships themselves and to the study of the patterns
of social relationships in one or more human cultures.
A social network is a social structure composed of a set
of social actors (individuals or organizations), sets of a
partner or dyadic ties, and other social interactions
between actors.
The bond of blood is called consanguineous kinship. The
consanguineous kin is related through blood.
There is no generic Filipino term for kinship as each
language group in the country created its terminology
but the term kamag-anak or magkakamag-anak, from
the Tagalog-based language, is widely used.