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Module ContentÌý

In this module you will be introduced to the anthropological study of kinship, with an added focus on gender given the close relationship between the two. The study of kinship has been foundational in social anthropology, and early anthropologists often sought to categorize and rank societies according to their kinship system. Since then, the study of kinship has moved considerably from charting ‘systems’ to understanding the full complexity of concepts and practices of relatedness, and even questioning the universality of ‘kinship’. While acknowledging the historical foundations of the field, this module will focus on more contemporary aspects of the study of kinship and gender. Questions about race and ethnicity also figure prominently throughout the module.Ìý

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Through ethnographic examples from a wide range of social contexts, you will reflect on the socially constructed nature of ideas of kinship and gender and debate key social issues of contemporary relevance.Ìý

Indicative TopicsÌý

The module will cover the following topics, which may be subject to variation depending on developments in academic research.

• Kinship and gender in anthropology

• Relatedness and adoption

• Kinship, race and genderÌý

• Assisted reproductive technologiesÌý

• Changing sex and bending genderÌý

• Sex, Love and MoneyÌý

• Transnational marriage and intimate relationshipsÌý

• Migrants and their familiesÌý

• Human - non-human kinship

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Teaching DeliveryÌý

A weekly 2-hour lecture and a 1-h seminar led by the course tutor.Ìý

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Learning OutcomesÌý

Having completed the module, you will have acquired:Ìý

• A strong grounding in key anthropological approaches to kinship and gender Ìý

• A critical understanding of anthropology’s contribution to a range of important social debates, from the rights of gender, sexual and ethnic minorities to the issues raised by new reproductive technologies, transnational adoption, or the ways in which states attempt to control family-related migration Ìý

• The ability to take a critical, non-eurocentric perspective on such taken-for-granted categories as kinship, family, marriage, love, gender and race Ìý

• Improved skills in debating critical social issues ÌýÌý

• Improved essay-writing skills Ìý

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