Kinship-like social ties recognized by anthropologists and ethnographers that are based on neither blood (consanguineal) nor marriage (affinal) relation, created instead through ritual, shared residence, economic ties or close friendship; recent scholarship increasingly questions whether the real-versus-fictive distinction itself holds up cross-culturally.
Facts
Disputed
Descent RuleNot a descent rule at all, but a category anthropologists themselves now debate: many recent scholars have abandoned the sharp real-versus-fictive distinction, since numerous cultures do not base their own idea of kinship on genealogical relation in the first place. 1 Sourced to the subject's own accountMarked debated because the underlying analytic category, not just a specific claim, is contested within anthropology itself. Typical RegionSourced to the subject's own accountDocumented across many cultures; its best-known named form, compadrazgo (godparenthood), is rooted in Central Mexico. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Blood brotherhood is a documented real-world instance of fictive kinship: a socially recognized kin-like bond created between people with no birth relation.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Fictive Kinship
WikipediaOpening section, descriptionQuote, Opening section, description
Fictive kinship...is a term used by anthropologists and ethnographers to describe forms of kinship or social ties that are based on neither consanguineal (blood ties) nor affinal ("by marriage"), nor nursery (milk) ties.
1. Wikipedia: Fictive Kinship
WikipediaCritiques section, category debateQuote, Critiques section, category debate
Recently, many anthropologists have abandoned a distinction between 'real' and 'fictive' kin, because many cultures do not base their notion of kinship on genealogical relations.
1. Wikipedia: Fictive Kinship
WikipediaExamples section, compadrazgoQuote, Examples section, compadrazgo
Compadrazgo is a form of fictive kinship that is rooted in Central Mexico history for many years.
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