Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a social group. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** In Sociology, a group can be defined as two or more Humans that interact with one another accept expectations and obligations as members of the group and share a Cultures who practice endogamy require marriage between specified social groups, classes, or ethnicities. A Danish endogamist would require marriage only to other Danes. The term Dane may refer to People with a Danish ancestral or ethnic identity whether living in Denmark, emigrants or the descendants of emigrants 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 in India is based on an order of (predominantly) endogamous groups and its formation has been suggested to have originated from the social organization of endogamous groups. Caste (Sanskrit Gyati ज्ञाति, Hindi Biradari बिरादरी samaj समाज jati जाति etc, Urdu Zat ज़ात) is an Endogamous group
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, Orthodox Jews, Old Order Amish, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Parsi of India (a non-Hindu minority in India). The Yazidi (also Yezidi, Kurdish: ئزیدی or Êzidî, Arabic: يزيدي or ايزدي Assyrian/Syriac: ܓ̰ܠܟܝܐ is a For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Armenian Iranians (Armenian "Իրանահայ" translit Orthodox Judaism is the formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized The Amish (ˈɑːmɪʃ are members of an Anabaptist Christian denomination best known for Simple living, Plain dress and resisting modern conveniences Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenialist Christian denomination India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The isolationist practices of endogamy may lead to a group's extinction rather than its survival. For instance, while long serving to preserve their religion, the Samaritans' practice of endogamy now threatens this community. Refusal to intermarry, in conjunction with their non-acceptance of converts, has led the population of this ethnic group to decrease to fewer than one thousand. Such a small gene pool has contributed to genetic disease within the community.
Endogamy plays an important role in social stratification. It can refer to different social factors such as occupations, activities, or education. This type of social endogamy is very apparent in the United States. For instance, actors and actresses generally marry or bond with people in a similar industry. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** Human bonding refers to the development of a close Interpersonal relationship between family members or friends These relationships are created because people feel more comfortable around people with similar lifestyles.
Class endogamy greatly affects social mobility. See also Economic mobility Social mobility is the degree to which in a given society an individual's family's or group's social status A son or daughter of a famous actor or musician has a much greater chance of becoming famous compared to the son or daughter of an average American worker. This is because the parents have connections in the business and can easily share them. Business connections also frequently follow this pattern. Top executives can pave the way for their offspring to follow a similar path in their business or field. Elite families generally contribute to endogamy within big business. Elite (also spelled Élite) is taken originally from the Latin, eligere, "to elect" As all big business works together, so do the families running them. This produces social links that are carried forward and keep certain groups restrictive. [1]
Greek organizations at many universities in the United States are a good example of endogamy. Fraternities and sororities (from the Latin words la frater and la soror, meaning "brother" and "sister" respectively are fraternal A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects Members generally date within these organizations. This is fostered by special events held exclusively between Greek organizations. Being a member of these groups creates social bonds that may be continued through one’s life. Obtaining a job could be eased by such a bond.
Endogamy also causes groups to be less diversified because of the desire to stay within one’s social group. In Sociology, a group can be defined as two or more Humans that interact with one another accept expectations and obligations as members of the group and share a For example, the percentage of interracial marriages in the United States is small compared to all marriages. Interracial marriage occurs when two people of differing racial groups marry, often creating Multiracial children The number of such marriages has been increasing together with increased ethnic diversity and loosening of some attitudes among younger people. [2]
References
- ^ Brudner, Lilyan A. , and Douglas R. White. "Class, Property, and Structural Endogamy: Visualizing Networked Histories". University of California, Irvine. Academic Publisher, 1997. 1-48. 14 Nov. 2007 http://eclectic.ss.uci.edu/~drwhite/T&S/BrudnerWhite1997Convert.pdf.
- ^ Belding, Theodore C. "Nobility and Stupidity: Modeling the Evolution of Class Endogamy". University of Michigan. 2004. 1-25. 7 Nov. 2007 http://www-personal.umich.edu/~streak/papers/endogamy-20040517.pdf.
See also
Exogamy has two related definitions both biological and cultural Consanguinity (" con- (with sanguine (blood -ity" refers to the property of being from the same Lineage as another person Homogamy refers to marriage between individuals who are in some culturally important way similar to each other Inbreeding is breeding between close Relatives whether plant or animalDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic