Practice question · Multiple choice
Nearly every society has exogamy rules of some kind. Why would a group forbid marriage within itself?
Hints
- Ask what a group GAINS by sending its members elsewhere to marry.
- Marriage creates a relationship between two families, not only two people.
Show the answer
C. Because marrying out builds alliances with other groups
Why
Exogamy manufactures alliance. Every marriage becomes a tie to another group, which is why the rule is near-universal while its exact boundary varies enormously.
Practise Kinship and Family Systems
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