Kinship

Kinship Exercise The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines kinship as “Connection by blood, marriage, or adoption; family relationship,” or “Relationship by nature or character; affinity.” The same source says that relatedness is “Connected by kinship, common origin, or marriage.” My subject, Justin S. feels somewhat differently. When we first began the interview, I first asked him how he felt about the terms kinship and relatedness, and what it meant to him. He …

…all. And I thought only Black families had drama! In conclusion, I feel that Justin’s family is somewhat of a special case. His relationship with the members of his extended family persuades his definition and understanding of whom he considered relatives and who is kin. The size of his family surprised me a little, but that’s only because my mothers’ side of the family has six families with 10 or more children in them.