Q1. Critically examine the descent approach to the study of kinship
- Descent approach: Traces lineage from common ancestors to form corporate social groups.
- Unilineal descent: Includes patrilineal (male line) and matrilineal (female line) forms.
- Corporate groups: Kin-based groups with shared property, rituals, and jural authority (e.g., Nuer, Tallensi).
- Strength: Explained social structure, property inheritance, and political organization in many societies.
Answer: The descent approach, a foundational paradigm in kinship studies, primarily emerged from British social anthropology, with key proponents like Meyer Fortes and E.E. Evans-Pritchard. It focuses on how individuals trace their ancestry from a common progenitor to form enduring social groups, thereby shaping social structure, property inheritance, and political organization. This approach defines descent as a rule that affiliates individuals with a group of kin who are all descended from a common a...