Britannica Sources used in this answer

How did David Schneider describe kinship in the United States?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Kinship An 18th-century family register listing births, marriages, and deaths within a kin group; in the National Archives, Washington, D.C.

In his influential 1968 study American Kinship, David Schneider analyzed kinship in the United States as a cultural system defined by shared symbols and meanings rather than just strategic or economic interests.1

Schneider proposed that "blood" serves as the core symbol of American kinship, representing a "natural substance." He characterized kin ties as bonds of "diffuse, enduring solidarity," which he argued were derived from two opposing cultural orders:

The Order of Nature: Based on the perception of biological (genetic) ties, or "blood."
The Order of Law: Based on a legally enshrined "code for conduct" that regulates marital ties.1

According to Schneider, these two orders combine to define various relationships. For instance, marital ties exist primarily through law, while "blood kin" are defined by a combination of both natural substance and legal codes.1

While his work was foundational to the "culturalist approach," it was later criticized for presenting a homogenized view of American culture that failed to account for variations in class, ethnicity, gender, and individual life history.1