Exogamy and endogamy

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Exogamy has two related definitions, both Biological and Human cultural.

Biological Exogamy

In Biology, exogamy more generally refers to the mating of individuals who are relatively less related genetically, that is outbreeding as opposed to inbreeding, this benefits the offspring by avoiding the chance of the offspring inheriting two copies of a defective gene and also by increasing the genetic diversity of the offspring, improving the chances that more of the offspring will have the required adaptions to survive.

Exogamy in humans

There may be a drive in humans as well as animals to engage in exogamy (outbreeding); this is because procreating with individuals who are more closely related means any children will be more likely to suffer from genetics defects caused by inbreeding. Individuals who date more exotic partners thereby avoiding incestuous relationships will have healthier offspring due to the benefits of outbreeding. There are many conditions that are more likely where inbreeding takes place, one example being cystic fibrosis when a couple of European origin have children, another being sickle-cell anemia when a couple of African origin have children. The problems of inbreeding are even more obvious when the relationship between couples is even closer. Inbreeding among the Pakistani population is a current issue in the UK [1] due to the large numbers of children born with genetic defects. Therefore, the drive to date individuals different from oneself may derive from an innate drive to seek the healthiest combination of DNA possible for one's offspring by outbreeding.

Cultural Exogamy

Exogamy is the custom of marrying outside a specified group of people to which one belongs. In addition to blood relatives, marriage to members of a specific totem or other group may be forbidden.

The opposite of exogamy is endogamy.

Different theories have been proposed to account for the origin of exogamy.

Edvard Westermarck said it arose in the aversion to marriage between blood relatives or near kin, that is, in horror of incest. From a genetic point of view, aversion to breeding with close relatives results in fewer congenital diseases, because, where one gene is faulty, there is a greater chance that the other - being from a different line - is of another functional type and can take over. Outbreeding thus favours the condition of Heterozygosity, that is having two non-identical copies of a given gene.

J.F. McLennan holds that exogamy was due originally to scarcity of women, which obliged men to seek wives from other groups, including marriage by capture, and this in time grew into a custom.

Émile Durkheim Template:Cite needed derives exogamy from totemism, and says it arose from a religious respect for the blood of a totemic clan, for the clan totem is a god and is especially in the blood.

Morgan and Howitt Template:Cite needed maintain that exogamy was introduced to prevent marriage between blood relations, especially between brother and sister, which had been common in a previous state of promiscuity. Frazer says this is the true solution, that it really introduced group marriage, which is an advance to monogamy, and that the most complete record of this is the classificatory system of relationship. Lang, however, denies there is any group marriage, and says that so-called group marriage is only tribe-regulated licence. Hill-Tout Template:Cite needed writes that exogamous rules arose for political reasons by marriage treaties between groups. Darwin denies primitive promiscuous intercourse, and says exogamy arose from the strongest male driving the other males out of the group. This is also the opinion of Lang, Atkinson, and Letourneau Template:Cite needed.

Claude Levi-Strauss introduced the "Alliance Theory" of exogamy, that is, that small groups must force their members to marry outside so as to build alliances with other groups. According to this theory, groups that engaged in exogamy would flourish, while those that didn't would die out, either literally or because they lacked ties for cultural and economic exchange, leaving them at a disadvantage. The exchange of men and/or women therefore served as a uniting force between groups.

See also

• Australian Aboriginal kinship
• Endogamy
• Inbreeding
• Intermarriage
• Raznochinsky

Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a social group. Cultures who practice endogamy require marriage between specified social groups, classes, or ethnicities. A Japanese endogamist would require marriage only to other Japanese. Just about any accepted social grouping may provide a boundary for endogamy. Despite the fact that many people tend to marry members of their own social group, there are some groups that practice endogamy very strictly as an inherent part of their moral values, traditions or religious beliefs. The caste-system of India is based on an order of (mostly) endogamous groups.

Endogamy encourages group affiliation and bonding. Endogamy is a common practice among displanted cultures attempting to make roots in new countries as it encourages group solidarity and ensures greater control over group resources (which may be important to preserve where a group is attempting to establish itself within an alien culture). It helps minorities to survive over a long time in societies with other practices and beliefs. Famous examples of strictly endogamous religious groups are the Yazidi in Northern Iraq (under Islamic majority), the Armenian-Iranians, and the Parsi of India (a country with a Hindu majority).

See also

• Exogamy
• Consanguinity
• homogamy

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