Matrimonial Ring Structures

International audienceThe paper deals with matrimonial rings, a particular kind of cycles in kinship networks which result when spouses are linked to each other by ties of consanguinity or affinity. By taking a network-analytic perspective, the paper endeavours to put this classical issue of structural kinship theory on a general basis, such as to allow conclusions which go beyond isolated discussions of particular ring types (like “cross-cousin marriage”, “sister exchange”, and so forth). The paper provides a definition and formal analysis of matrimonial rings, a method of enumerating all isomorphism classes of matrimonial rings within given genealogical bounds, a series of network-analytic tools – such as the census graph – to analyse ring structures in empirical kinship networks, and techniques to effectuate these analyses with the computer program PAJEK. A program package containing the required macros can be downloaded from the web. The working of the method is illustrated at the example of kinship networks from four different parts of the world (South-America, Africa, Australia and Europe)