Evolutionary Contributions to Solving the “Matrilineal Puzzle”

@article{Mattison2011EvolutionaryCT,
  title={Evolutionary Contributions to Solving the “Matrilineal Puzzle”},
  author={Siobh{\'a}n M. Mattison},
  journal={Human Nature},
  year={2011},
  volume={22},
  pages={64-88}
}
Matriliny has long been debated by anthropologists positing either its primitive or its puzzling nature. More recently, evolutionary anthropologists have attempted to recast matriliny as an adaptive solution to modern social and ecological environments, tying together much of what was known to be associated with matriliny. This paper briefly reviews the major anthropological currents in studies of matriliny and discusses the contribution of evolutionary anthropology to this body of literature… 
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46 Citations
Background Citations
19
Methods Citations
1
Results Citations
2

46 Citations

THE FRAGILITY OF MARRIAGE IN MATRILINEAL SOCIETIES
Matrilineal descent and the societies that have it have long been seen as being more in need of explanation than patrilineal descent, which tends to be treated as humanity’s default when discussing…
What Explains Patrilineal Cooperation?
TLDR
Assessment of patrilineal cooperation in the Dogon of Mali shows that kin selection is a more useful theory for explaining cooperative behavior within work-eat groups, and both quantitative data and informants’ statements show that WEGs are the more important unit for economic activity and family life.
The expendable male hypothesis
TLDR
The expendable male hypothesis may explain the evolution of matriliny in numerous cases, and is concluded that female-centered approaches that call into doubt assumptions inherent to male-centered models of kinship are justified in evolutionary perspective.
A worldwide view of matriliny: using cross-cultural analyses to shed light on human kinship systems
Although matriliny and matrilocality are relatively rare in contemporary human populations, these female-based descent and residence systems are present in different cultural contexts and across the…
The evolution of female-biased kinship in humans and other mammals
TLDR
The issue includes broad theoretical and empirical reviews as well as specific case studies addressing the social and ecological correlates of FBK across taxa, time and space and leverages a comparative approach to test existing hypotheses and presents novel arguments that aim to expand the understanding of how males and females negotiate kinship across diverse contexts.
Using evolutionary theory to hypothesize a transition from patriliny to matriliny and back again among the ethnic Mosuo of Southwest China
Transitions to matriliny are said to be relatively rare. This evidence is sometimes used to support arguments that perceive matriliny as a problematic and unstable system of kinship. In this article,…
The disequilibrium of double descent: changing inheritance norms among Himba pastoralists
TLDR
There are important generational differences in how men view women's autonomy, which are probably attributable to both changing norms about inheritance and exposure to majority-culture views on women's roles, which shed light on how systemic change like the shifts in descent reckoning that occurred during the Bantu expansion can occur.
One piece of the matrilineal puzzle: the socioecology of maternal uncle investment
Maternal uncle relationships in which men invest resources (usually in the form of inheritance of material wealth) into their sisters' children are characteristic of matrilineal systems and…
From matrimonial practices to genetic diversity in Southeast Asian populations: the signature of the matrilineal puzzle
TLDR
The results suggest that male dominance, when combined with matrilocality, constrains inter-village migrations, and constitutes an underexplored cultural process shaping genetic patterns in human populations.
Emergent matriliny in a matrifocal, patrilineal population: a male coalitionary perspective
TLDR
It is found that matrilineal kinship influences male social support networks, but not labour cooperation, which suggests new insights into men's roles in matricentric social organization.
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