Kinship at the intersection of lineage and linguistics: a study of Hmong relatedness in Western contexts
Author(s):
Nibbs, Faith
Format:
Journal article
Citation:
Language And Intercultural Communication, Volume 13, Issue 4 (11/1/2013). pp. 371-385.
Language:
English
Abstract:
For social scientists, kinship has traditionally meant genealogical relations as defined by procreation, separating those who are genealogically related to each other from those who aren't. Today, anthropologists are interested in understanding specific local and indigenous conceptions of human relatedness - how the biological and social converge to make different constructions and experiences of kinship. This paper extends that examination to the contemporary Hmong who came as refugees to Texas and Gammertingen, Germany, examining the ways connections and disconnections of relatedness have come to be understood not only in terms of blood and clan, but also in terms of dialect. This paper theoretically situates the Hmong idea of kinship in these two localities as a reintegration of the more descent-centered Freedmanian model and one of the more modern models that include dialect variation in lineage.