A holocultural study of societal organization and modes of marriage: a general evolutionary model

HRAF • New Haven • Published In • Pages: ??•
By Evascu, Thomas L.

Abstract

The author examines modes of marriage and societal organization from a functionalist (general evolutionary) perspective. He focuses on the relationships of subsistence (economic) patterns, settlement patterns, and social complexity to predicting modes of marriage, with particular emphasis on the importance of subsistence as an underlying structural influence upon social patterns.

Samples

Sample Used Coded Data Comment
HRAF Collection of Ethnography (paper/fiche)Other Researchers
Ethnographic ReportsOther Researchers
Ethnographic Atlas (EA)Other Researchers

Hypotheses (7)

HypothesisSupported
Mode of marriage is more significantly and more strongly correlated with mode of subsistence than it is with post-marital residence (166)Supported
"[There is an] absence of association between family type and modes of marriage . . . and between women's contribution to subsistence and modes of marriage" (157)Not Supported
"[There is an] absence of association between . . . women's contribution to subsistence and societal differentiation" (157)Not Supported
"Results . . . support expected relationships between subsistence type and societal differentiation and [between]subsistence type and settlement pattern" (150, 156, 159)Supported
"Results support the expected relationship between . . . societal differentiation and family type" (155)Supported
"[Mode of marriage is related to subsistence]: brideservice is related to hunting and gathering . . . bridewealth relates to horticulture, extensive agriculture and pastoralism . . . and dowry is related to intensive agriculture and industrialism" (177-188)Supported
"[Mode of marriage is related to societal differentiation]: brideservice . . . is associated with a low level of societal differentiation . . . bridewealth is associated with a medium level . . . and dowry and absence of economic considerations are associated with high levels of societal differentiation" (177-188)Supported
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: mas  Christina Carolus