Kinship and ritual in Bengal: anthropological essays

South Asian PublishersNew Delhi • Published In 1984 • Pages:

By: Fruzzetti, Lina M., östör, Akos.

Abstract
This work is a collection of essays, written over a ten year period, which have previously appeared in various journals and books in both India and America. The focus of the study is on the everyday life and relationships among the people of the West Bengal town of Vishnupur. The major portion of these anthropological essays deals with one common concern, '…the analysis of social relationships through indigenous cultural categories' (p. vii), and as such represents a sustained attempt at cultural interpretation. The subject matter of these papers ranges from a technical critique of approaches to kinship terminology, to life cycle events and rituals, and concepts of the individual and their relationship to the Bengali hierarchy. This study also provides much information on the status of Bengali women, and cultural similarities and differences between the Hindu and Muslim components of the society.
Subjects
Kinship terminology
Kin relationships
Theoretical orientation in research and its results
Regulation of marriage
Lineages
Pregnancy
Childbirth
Postnatal care
Purification and atonement
Gender status
Ritual
Religious denominations
culture
Bengali
HRAF PubDate
2002
Region
Asia
Sub Region
South Asia
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 1992
Field Date
1967-1973, various trips [p. vii]
Coverage Date
not specified
Coverage Place
Vishnupur, West Bengal, India
Notes
[by] Lina Fruzzetti, Akos östör
Contains materials previously published in various sources
Includes bibliographies
LCSH
Bengalis