The Anthropology of Marriage in Lowland South America

Editors Stephen Beckerman and Paul Valentine argue that while Amazonian societies certainly have variations on marriage practices, in reality the rules surrounding them are inconsistently followed. Utilizing methods of cultural and social anthropology and pulling together data from several cultures, contributors demonstrate how individual motives and opportunities--including desire, economics, or residence--result in marriage choices that may negotiate, manipulate, or ignore societal rules.