alliance theory

is a custom in which sending women to husbands of others groups served to bond these groups to one another.

By sending women out to husbands in other groups (exogamy), bonds form between said groups. Noting this as another instance of the central (what's more, constitutive) place exchange holds for people, Levi-Strauss argues that '[t] he incest prohibition is thus the basis of human society, and in a sense it is the society.' (Levi-Strauss 1966c:118). The incest prohibition becomes that which separates humans from the animals. Alliance theory is also called 'univocal reciprocity' and is a component of the general theory of exchange. . . .Levi-Strauss' Elementary Structures of Kinship . . Le vi-Straussproposeda generaltheoryof kinship,buildingon the sociologicalworkof. . .MarcelMauss(1872-1950) concerningthe centralimportanceof gift exchangesin humanaffairs.Le vi-Strauss argued that humanbeings had passed from a state of nature to a state of culturehadin fact becomehumanthe momentthey pro-ibitedincest. Thisprohibitionm,orethananyother,separatesthe humanfromthe animalworld.Quiteobviously,it leadsto exogamy, thepracticeof 'marryingout, 'forifmenmaynottakethewomenof theirownfamilyas mates,the systemwillworkonlyifallothermen are under the same prohibition.The imperativeof marryingout forces all members of a social system to deal with and depend on outsiders...it lies at the root of perhapsthe oldest ambivalencein humanaffairs.It also providesthe tension that is released in jokes aboutin-laws,includinga South Africanaphorism,quotedby Le viStrauss,whichsuggests that a relativeby marriageis an elephant's hipsuffocating,presumably. (maybury-Lewis 'structuralism' 87)

alliance theory, n.Definitions

alliance theory