The two Boleyn girls struggled to keep up with King Henry VIII’s demands in the fifteenth Century. Mary having been the King’s mistress for assumingly two years, her sister Anne takes over to enchant the Henry and become Queen. Her fertility was, however, not exactly appropriate in the eyes of the King – no son was ever to be born from her womb. Henry had to find ways to get rid of her and her unbearable ‘inability’. So at least runs the story that Justin Chadwick tells about the ‘two Boleyn girls’. In their case, new reproductive technologies and genetic prediction would have ‘made’ kinship indeed. Would it only have been possible to help a little bit with the pregnancy, would it have been possible to predict (and change) the gender of the heir, the Boleyn family could have had a glorious future. NRTs had ‘made kinship’, had sustained it and potentially given Anne the chance to live on.
Strathern (2002:1) describes this synthesising character, the ‘making of kinship’ on the first page of ‘Reproducing the Future’; she proposes a “contrast between traditional biology that could only get a handle on what life is through analysis – taking things apart to observe the composition of characteristics – and the possibilities afforded by computer simulation. Here one can synthesise various characteristics to observe the effect of combining them”. Traditional biology as a discipline can only analyse, take apart, while new technologies help to synthesis and produce.
Table of Contents
1. Does modern technology contribute to the unmaking of kinship, or to its making?
Objectives and Themes
This paper explores the complex interplay between modern technological advancements and the fundamental structures of human kinship. It investigates whether emerging technologies—ranging from reproductive interventions like IVF and surrogacy to genome mapping and virtual realities—redefine, create, or potentially dismantle traditional notions of biological and social relatedness.
- The impact of New Reproductive Technologies (NRTs) on traditional biological definitions of kinship.
- The role of social labor and constitutive knowledge in the formation of kin relations.
- Cultural perceptions and legal frameworks surrounding biological versus social kinship, including examples from Islamic law.
- The influence of genome projects and genealogical mapping on identity and biological relatedness.
- The emergence of virtual kinship and intimacy within digital environments like Second Life.
Excerpt from the Book
Does modern technology contribute to the unmaking of kinship, or to its making?
The two Boleyn girls struggled to keep up with King Henry VIII’s demands in the fifteenth Century. Mary having been the King’s mistress for assumingly two years, her sister Anne takes over to enchant the Henry and become Queen. Her fertility was, however, not exactly appropriate in the eyes of the King – no son was ever to be born from her womb. Henry had to find ways to get rid of her and her unbearable ‘inability’. So at least runs the story that Justin Chadwick tells about the ‘two Boleyn girls’. In their case, new reproductive technologies and genetic prediction would have ‘made’ kinship indeed. Would it only have been possible to help a little bit with the pregnancy, would it have been possible to predict (and change) the gender of the heir, the Boleyn family could have had a glorious future. NRTs had ‘made kinship’, had sustained it and potentially given Anne the chance to live on.
Strathern (2002:1) describes this synthesising character, the ‘making of kinship’ on the first page of ‘Reproducing the Future’; she proposes a “contrast between traditional biology that could only get a handle on what life is through analysis – taking things apart to observe the composition of characteristics – and the possibilities afforded by computer simulation. Here one can synthesise various characteristics to observe the effect of combining them”. Traditional biology as a discipline can only analyse, take apart, while new technologies help to synthesis and produce.
Summary of Chapters
1. Does modern technology contribute to the unmaking of kinship, or to its making?: This chapter introduces the theoretical tension between traditional biological definitions of kinship and the disruptive influence of modern technologies, arguing that technology forces a reconsideration of whether nature or culture defines human relatedness.
Keywords
Kinship, Anthropology, New Reproductive Technologies, IVF, Surrogacy, Biological Relatedness, Social Labor, Genome Mapping, Second Life, Virtual Kinship, Constitutive Knowledge, Identity, Islamic Law, Genetic Prediction, Technology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper examines how modern technological developments, such as reproductive technologies and digital mapping, influence and reshape traditional anthropological concepts of kinship.
What are the primary themes discussed?
The central themes include the boundary between nature and culture, the role of choice and social labor in kinship, the impact of genetic science, and the validity of virtual social relationships.
What is the primary research question?
The overarching question is whether modern technologies actively "make" or "unmake" kinship, and how these technologies complicate the distinction between biological facts and social arrangements.
Which scientific method is applied?
The author employs a comparative analysis of existing anthropological literature, examining various case studies—such as the deCODE genome project in Iceland and virtual interaction in Second Life—to test theoretical frameworks.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The text analyzes the shift from biological essentialism to social construction, exploring how knowledge about ancestry and virtual existence challenges the "given" nature of kinship.
Which keywords characterize the work?
The work is characterized by terms such as kinship, anthropology, NRTs, biological relatedness, social labor, and virtual kinship.
How does Islamic law interpret modern reproductive technologies in relation to kinship?
Islamic law in the context of the study uses concepts like "milk kinship" to navigate the "biological confusion" introduced by surrogacy, highlighting how legal systems adapt to classify new kinship relations.
What is the significance of the "book of Icelanders" in this discussion?
It serves as an example of how genome mapping technologies make biological relatedness visible, transforming it into a resource that individuals use to define their own "ego networks" and biological identity.
Can kinship exist in virtual environments like Second Life?
The paper argues, referencing Boellstorff, that virtual relationships can be as "real" as everyday ones, suggesting that kinship can be constituted through technological interaction without relying on biological facts.
Does biological connection still define kinship in the modern era?
The paper suggests that while biology remains a significant factor, it no longer exclusively "overdetermines" kinship; instead, social labor, knowledge, and personal choice increasingly shape what it means to be kin.
- Citar trabajo
- Johannes Lenhard (Autor), 2013, Unmaking of kinship. The modern technology contribute, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/230429
