Syllabus: Paper I > 12. Applications of Anthropology > Anthropology of sports
Incest Taboos — 2015 Paper I
Question · 2015 · Paper I · 10 Marks
Incest Taboos.
Model Answer
VAID ICSApproach
- 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:
- Biological explanation: Close inbreeding can increase expression of harmful recessive alleles. However, people do not consciously formulate incest rules genetically.
- Westermarck hypothesis: Edward Westermarck argued that persons raised in intimate childhood association develop mutual sexual aversion.
- Freud: Freud proposed the opposite view—that incestuous desires exist and therefore require strong cultural repression. This remains highly speculative.
- Tylor: He connected incest prohibition with exogamy and alliance, summarized as the need to “marry out or be killed out.”
- 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.
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UPSC Anthropology Optional 2015 — Paper I
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