article

When exceptions define the rules: Greek baptismal names and the negotiation of identity

Journal of anthropological research38 (3)Published In 1982 • Pages: 288-302

By: Herzfeld, Michael.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
In this article Herzfeld discusses naming practices in two Greek communities. Children are usually named after their grandparents, alternating between sides of the family. For example the first son is named after his father's father, the second son after his mother's father, the first daughter after her mother's mother, the second daughter after her father's mother. It appears that the transmission of names correspond to the transmission of property, although not perfectly. However, Herzfeld argues that naming is a complex process more related to ideas of reciprocity than property. Naming is a way to reciprocate the benefits conferred from one generation to the next. Herzfeld also discusses terms of address and shows how a choice among various possible terms is used to indicate degree of closeness and inclusion.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Inheritance
Naming
Family relationships
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Greeks
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2003
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Europe
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Southeastern Europe
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
article
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Ethnologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Ian Skoggard ; 2002
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1973-1981
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
not specified
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
'Glendi', Crete and 'Pefko', Rhodes, Greece
NotesAdditional notes
Michael Herzfeld
Includes bibliographical references (p. 301-302)
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
73645054
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Greece