Demographic anthropology in the study of matrimonial exchanges in a Dogon isolate

Fitness consequences of cousin marriage: a life-history assessment in two populations

“…As for the potential benefits of cousin marriage, men married to cousins show slightly higher fertility and earlier ages at first reproduction compared with men married to unrelated partners. The traditional matrilateral cross-cousin marriage system of the Dogon reinforces the traditional matrilineal system of inheritance, while the newer Islamic patrilateral parallel-cousin marriage system reinforces the recently imported patrilineal system of inheritance (Cazes, 2006 ). In Dogon society, the first marriage of each man is decided on by the head of the family and is preferentially arranged to a cousin, whereas the following wives are freely chosen by the husband (Cazes, 2006 ).…”

“…The traditional matrilateral cross-cousin marriage system of the Dogon reinforces the traditional matrilineal system of inheritance, while the newer Islamic patrilateral parallel-cousin marriage system reinforces the recently imported patrilineal system of inheritance (Cazes, 2006 ). In Dogon society, the first marriage of each man is decided on by the head of the family and is preferentially arranged to a cousin, whereas the following wives are freely chosen by the husband (Cazes, 2006 ). The earlier age at first reproduction for cousin-married individuals (especially males) points to the possibility that cousin marriage eases the problem of finding a mate in this population (as predicted by the mate scarcity hypothesis ).…”

“…However, patrilateral parallel cousin marriage (i.e. marriage between a focal male and his father's brother's daughter), and other forms of cousin marriage, began to increase in the twentieth century, after large-scale conversions to Islam occurred (Cazes, 2006 ). Cross-cousin marriage among the Dogon is thought to be driven by the traditional matrilineal system of land inheritance (i.e.…”

“…where inheritance goes to the sons of the sisters of a focal man) and by matrimonial exchanges that enhance cooperation within lineages (Strassmann and Kurapati, 2016 ). Parallel cousin marriage, in contrast, is thought to be driven by the more recent arrival of an Islamic patrilineal system of inheritance (Cazes, 2006 ). On the basis of these previous studies, we would expect that cousin marriage in this population is potentially beneficial for males, with sons trying to secure inheritance and keep it in the family by marrying their cousins.…”

Cross-cousin marriage among Tsimane forager–horticulturalists during demographic transition and market integration

“…Changes in the frequency of cousin marriage are often associated with changes in other cultural norms – e.g. owing to particular religious proscriptions (Cazes, 1996 ; Schulz et al, 2019 ) – but can also reflect broader changes in demographic and socioeconomic circumstances that might influence marriage decisions indirectly (Shenk et al, 2016 ). More specifically, changes in demographic and socioeconomic circumstances have often been shown to co-occur with changes in the frequency of cousin marriage (Peña et al, 2002 ; Givens & Hirschman, 1994 ; Assaf & Khawaja, 2009 ; Kumari et al, 2020 ; Shenk et al, 2016 ).…”