Incest Taboos — 2015 Paper I

Approach

• Demand of Question: Explain incest taboo as a near-universal prohibition on sexual relations or marriage among specified close relatives.
• Structuring the Response: Define the taboo, discuss major anthropological explanations, and emphasize cultural variation in prohibited kin.
• Key Dimensions to Cover: Westermarck, Freud, Tylor, Lévi-Strauss, exogamy, alliance, biological avoidance and cultural variability.

Model Answer

Introduction: Incest taboo refers to culturally prescribed prohibition of sexual relations and/or marriage between particular categories of close kin. Although nearly universal, societies differ significantly in defining who constitutes prohibited kin.

Several explanations have been proposed:

1. Biological explanation: Close inbreeding can increase expression of harmful recessive alleles. However, people do not consciously formulate incest rules genetically.
2. Westermarck hypothesis: Edward Westermarck argued that persons raised in intimate childhood association develop mutual sexual aversion.
3. Freud: Freud proposed the opposite view—that incestuous desires exist and therefore require strong cultural repression. This remains highly speculative.
4. Tylor: He connected incest prohibition with exogamy and alliance, summarized as the need to “marry out or be killed out.”
5. Lévi-Strauss: For him, prohibition of incest compels exchange of spouses between groups:

Incest taboo → Exogamy → Reciprocity → Alliance

Its key social function is therefore extension of relationships beyond the immediate family.

Conclusion: Incest taboo combines biological, psychological and social dimensions, but anthropology especially emphasizes its role in regulating marriage and creating wider social alliances.