Exogamy is the social norm of marrying or mating outside one's own social group, with the group itself defining the scope of the rule and the mechanisms that enforce it. Anthropologists distinguish biological exogamy, governed by incest taboos against marrying close relatives, from cultural exogamy, which bars marriage within a defined social or kin group regardless of biological relation. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Descent RuleSourced to the subject's own accountA marriage rule rather than a descent rule: it requires individuals to marry outside their own defined social group, the direct opposite of endogamy. 1 Typical RegionSourced to the subject's own accountDocumented among the Baganda of Uganda, where marriage between two people from the same totem clan is taboo and illegal. 1 Descent Rule
Descent Rule (category)Sourced to the subject's own account Connections
Held Differently
Structural opposites: endogamy requires marrying within a defined group, exogamy requires marrying outside it; many societies apply both rules at different levels at once.
In Rule Category
Shaped By
Claude Levi-Strauss alliance theory explains exogamy as the mechanism by which groups are compelled to exchange spouses with one another, turning marriage into a system of reciprocal alliance rather than a private arrangement.
Studied By
Source Wikipedia: Exogamy
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Exogamy
WikipediaExogamy, lead paragraph
Exogamy is the social norm of mating or marrying outside one's social group.
Exogamy, Cultural exogamy section
For instance among the Baganda of Uganda, it's taboo and illegal for two people from the same totem clan to marry.
Studied By: Claude Lévi-Strauss, Article body sentence quoted
Claude Lévi-Strauss introduced the "Alliance Theory" of exogamy, that is, that small groups must force their members to marry outside so as to build alliances with other groups.
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