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Tangible Affinities and the Real Life Fascination of Kinship

Jennifer Mason

University of Manchester, jennifer.mason{at}manchester.ac.uk

This article uses the examples of the `kinship consequences'of assisted conception, the contemporary enthusiasm for tracing family histories, and a more general interest in family resemblances to argue that there is a contemporary fascination with kinship which existing sociological and anthropological theory do not entirely explain. It proposes a conceptual framework for understanding what is both distinctive and fascinating about kinship, based on four dimensions of affinity: fixed affinities, negotiated and creative affinities, ethereal affinities and sensory affinities. These are dimensions where kinship is engaged with, defined, known and expressed. Collectively, these are referred to as`tangible'affinities, not because they are all literally tangible but because of their resonance in lived experience and their vivid and palpable (or almost palpable) character.

Key Words: affinities • kinship • relatedness

Sociology, Vol. 42, No. 1, 29-45 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0038038507084824
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