Polyandry is a form of marriage where a woman has two or more husbands at the same time. This term is significant in the context of anthropological topics related to family, kinship, marriage, and sexuality across cultures.
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Polyandry is relatively rare compared to other forms of marriage, but it has been practiced in certain societies, particularly in parts of Asia and Africa.
Polyandry is often associated with resource-scarce environments where it may provide economic and social advantages, such as preventing the division of family property.
In some polyandrous societies, the husbands are typically brothers, which helps maintain family unity and shared resources.
Polyandry can have implications for the definition of family and household, as well as for the reckoning of kinship across cultures.
The practice of polyandry is closely linked to discussions of sex, gender, and sexuality in anthropology, as it challenges traditional Western notions of marriage and family.
Review Questions
Explain how the practice of polyandry relates to the concept of family and household in anthropology.
Polyandry challenges the Western, normative understanding of the family as a nuclear unit consisting of one husband, one wife, and their children. In polyandrous societies, the family structure may include multiple husbands who share a wife, which can impact the definition of household, the reckoning of kinship, and the distribution of resources and responsibilities within the family.
Describe how the study of polyandry contributes to the anthropological understanding of marriage and family across cultures.
The practice of polyandry provides an example of the diversity of marriage and family structures that exist around the world. By studying polyandry, anthropologists gain insights into the ways in which cultural, environmental, and economic factors can shape the organization of intimate relationships and the composition of households. This knowledge helps to expand the anthropological perspective on the range of acceptable and functional family forms across different societies.
Analyze the relationship between the practice of polyandry and the anthropological study of sex, gender, and sexuality.
Polyandry challenges Western, heteronormative assumptions about the nature of marriage and gender roles. By allowing a woman to have multiple husbands, polyandry disrupts the traditional patriarchal structure of marriage and the nuclear family. This practice also raises questions about the social construction of gender and the fluidity of sexuality, as it demonstrates that there are culturally-specific ways of organizing intimate relationships that differ from the dominant Western model. The study of polyandry, therefore, contributes to the broader anthropological understanding of the diverse expressions of sex, gender, and sexuality across cultures.