Incest Taboo

Incest : Acc to Seligman (1950) Incest is sexual intercourse between individuals related in certain prohibited degrees of kinship” (Notes and Queries. 1951:113). Or sexually activity between consanguineously related individuals. 

• Though some exceptions, but it is largely taboo in all societies 

Incest Taboo :Meaning & Explanation

• it is the rule of prohibition of sexual relationship among certain primary kins. 
• As it is rule of regulating sexual relationship/ prohibition, it is different from Exogamy, which is rule of m’age 

Incest As Rule

• In Primitive Society – associated with fear of supernatural 
• Modern Society – taboo is justified on the ground of morality & not on basis of superstition. 

Exception

• Brother sister m’age among Traditional Hawaiian Society – Incuan & Egyptian Royal Family e.g Cleopatra of Egypt was product of incest as it was common in Ptolemaic dynasty due to economic & religious reasons (Pharaoh member – status as god) 
• Peru
• Kachin Tribeman – mating with sister or daughter in incestuous but with mother is adulterous 
• Lakher of Myanmar – Half sibling with same mother can have sexual relation 

Scholars View

• Levi Strauss (1969) : Taboo ⇔ code → extension of kinship terminology which governs & directs movement of woman b/w m’age alliance network 
• Needham – there is no thing as IT (statement) –
  • He gave above quoted examples to support his statement – which all are exceptions not rule. Rule is incest taboo 
  • Write about theories 
  • Conclusion – what he experienced is exception & incest taboo is feature of most of the societies of world. 

Theories Explaining Existence of Incest Taboo

• Childhood Association Thoery : Edward Westermarck (1891)
  • Argued that : Overfamiliarity leads to sexual disinterest 
  • Associated from childhood → Not sexually attracted → avoid sexual relation (c/a Wastermarck Effect) 
  • Evidence supporting –
    • Kibbutz studied by Yaninga salmon in book (Family & community in the Kibbutz)
      • investigated m’age pattern of 2nd gen of 3 well estd. kibbutz in israel.
      • Children reared in commune not only avoided m’age, but also sexual r/l 
    • Tang Yang Hsi By Aurther wolf
      • Study on chinese in N. Taiwan.
      • custom c/l ‘Tang Yang Hsi‘ would be daughter-in-law raised from childhood result →  unsuccessful m’age most of time due to childhood familiarity 
  • Criticism of theory –
    • Doesn’t explain why societies have to prohibit m’age that can be avoided by disinterest.
    • why not applied on first cousin m’age. 
    • Even m’age invariably result in absolute intimacy & familiarity 
• Psychodynamic Theory :  Sigmund Freud.
  • strong erotic impulses experienced within family (primarily by boy for his mother) → hostility to wards father. → Oedipus Complex. 
  • I.T-→ reaction to unconscious impulses 
  • criticism –
    • Parker (1976): among non human primate over long period → No mother son r/l 
    • Nor does it a/c for why parents shouldn’t be interested in committing incest with their children 
• Family disruption theory : Malinowski
  • sexual competion among family →  rivalry & tension → family can’t funn as effective unit.
  • To curtail this competition → I.T
  • criticism–
    • Why society would have set another rules  
    • why would brother sister incest be so dispuptive, as it existed in ancient Egypt  
• Family Cooperation Theory  – Taylor
  • proposed by taylor, elaborated by Levi Strauss (alliance theory)  & Leslie white. 
  • Taylor :  IT →  answer to choice b/w marrying out or being killed out due to suspicion & hostility towards others groups
    • “Breed out or Perish” → Band Exogamy
  • theory emphasis on use of I.T. as to promote co-op among family group
• Inbreeding Theory  – Morgan.
  • Focus on potentially damaging consequences of Inbreeding.
  • Morgan : early homo noticed abnormal offspring from Incestous unions.
  • Biological weakness of close kin m’age was reason for I.T. 
  • Evidence supporting – Raymond firth: study on Toikopia Living in south pacific.
    • idea of Marai → barreness, illness & ultimately death.
    • suggest: Though primitives donot tot have knowledge of inbreeding, they had idea 
  • Criticism
    • Why some societies prefer endogamy even parallel cousin marriage ? 
    • only harmful when harmfull recessive genotypes.
  • Point supporting Inbreeding Thoery
    • Proportion of negative recessive traits to adaptive recessive traits is very high 
    • In pre-sceintific people there were two groups ; one with incest taboo had reproductive advantage so other died out. 

Conclusion – Animals species prevent incest by throwing out young once they reach maturity. But human take long time for maturity. Thus instent taboo (IT) is only efficient cultural solution which maintain genetic variability, Family harmony & Community Co-operation, so combination of socio-functional & inbreeding theory highlights its relevance. Its advantage can explain the spread & persistence, it not theories of origin.