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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 7 page paper examines the issue of marriage and how it is defined from an anthropological perspective. Bibliography lists 8 sources.
Page Count:
7 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVAnthro.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
cultural anthropology, among others. It is the aim of anthropology to help us discover who we were so that we can understand who we are. This paper examines the
issue of marriage and how it is defined from an anthropological perspective. Ill approach it by examining readings on the subject. I expect to find that the definition
of marriage commonly held in the West (the U.S. particularly); i.e., one man, one woman, united by law and religion for life, is only one of many structures known throughout
the world as "marriage." I found as I read that my assumption is correct: other cultures accept many other relationships as marriage: for instance, same-sex unions (woman-woman in
particular) are very prevalent in certain African cultures. In fact, I would argue that the societies in which these relationships flourish could not function well without them. There
are also plural marriages (both polygamy and polyandry) and other forms. Whether these are "right" or "wrong" is not a point for discussion; these forms of marriage are functional
within the societies where they are practiced and as such must be considered tenable. Definition of Marriage We want to discuss marriage from an anthropological perspective, which requires
a shift in thinking. I suspect that when someone (in the West at any rate) hears the word "marriage" they automatically see it as one man/one woman who exchange
vows in a religious ceremony, promising to be faithful to each other until death. Marriage also "legitimizes" sexual relations and provides a "proper" setting in which to raise children.
However, marriage is not necessarily about children; it is an "expected rite of passage" for most societies, and its only in "post-classical Western societies" that there are large numbers of
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