“Poor Me, I Have No Cousin”
Chernela’s analysis describes the consequences of globalization on Kotiria (also known as Wanano) kinship and marriage. Drawing on the insights of Robert Murphy (1971), she examines a number of the major themes that reoccur throughout this book, such as the dialectic between rules and practice, the relationship between structural intransigence and agency fuelled by needs and desires, and the emergence of innovation and practical considerations. If one looks at the formal model of Kotiria kinship and marriage, one might predict that they are constrained by a narrow range of alternatives when they choose a spouse. However, drawing on recent history, Chernela selects case studies that illustrate the range of possibilities actually open to the Kotiria. She presents cases in which marriage rules were disregarded or changed, as well as a case in which a descent group simply passed out of existence because of its members’ unwillingness to violate their own marriage rules.