The incest taboo1. is a cultural universal, but it applies only to groups with bilateral kinship terminologies. 2. it does not count as such, since higher primates do it too. 3. the definition of what constitutes incest varies widely across cultures. 4. it has only recently appeared among tribal societies. 5. it has disappeared among modern societies.

Question

Angelique Higgins

Social Studies

2 January, 02:56

The incest taboo1. is a cultural universal, but it applies only to groups with bilateral kinship terminologies. 2. it does not count as such, since higher primates do it too. 3. the definition of what constitutes incest varies widely across cultures. 4. it has only recently appeared among tribal societies. 5. it has disappeared among modern societies.

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Otto · Answer 1

The incest taboo is a cultural universal, but it applies only to groups with bilateral kinship terminologies.

Explanation:

In bilateral kinships, the mother's and the father's sides of relatives are both considered and treated as equally important. Whereas, in other terminologies, maternal cousins are considered as cross-cousins and paternal cousins are considered as parallel cousins. Hence, incest taboo being a cultural universal, it is not considered incestuous to have sexual relations with cross-cousins in cultures that are not bilateral kinships.