Murray Michelle Rosaldo David M. Cousin marriage is the marriage between people who share at least one grandparent. The attitude towards such marriages varies considerably across cultures and legal jurisdictions. It may be considered ideal and actively encouraged, or uncommon but still legal, or considered and legally. Marriages between first and second cousins account for over 10% of marriages worldwide. They are particularly common in the Middle East, where in some nations they account for over half of all marriages. In many cultures, only certain specific types of cousin marriages are permitted, while others are prohibited. In western culture, they have been legal in most jurisdictions through most of history and were considered socially acceptable until the first half of the 20th century; indeed, they were the norm in royal families, with - and - being two of numerous examples. However, in recent years, such marriages are often stigmatized in parts of the Western world. The diversity of attitudes towards cousin marriage, even within the same culture, has meant that its study features prominently in the field of anthropology, notably in alliance theory. Consonant with this cultural diversity, the attitude of various religions on the question of cousin marriage is also diverse. An extreme prohibition is found in certain texts in , which forbid marriage until the degree of 6th cousin if the relationship is entirely Agnatic i. The same texts permit marriage between second cousins if the man and woman are related in other ways. Indeed, several cultures permit certain types of cousin marriage while prohibiting other types of cousin marriage. In a large number of geographically dispersed cultures, including in South India, among the Iroquois and certain other North American First Peoples, Indigenous Australians and the Maoris of , only cross cousin marriages are permitted and marriages are forbidden. The children of first-cousin marriages have an increased risk of genetic disorders, though the incremental risk enhancement is relatively small, according to many researchers. Supporters of cousin marriage in the West view legal bans as discrimination, while opponents may appeal to morality or other arguments. History According to Professor Robin Fox of Rutgers University, it is likely that 80% of all marriages in history have been between second cousins or closer. It is generally accepted that the founding population of Homo sapiens was small, anywhere from 700 to 10,000 individuals, and combined with the population dispersal caused by a hunter-gatherer existence, a certain amount of inbreeding would have been inevitable. Proportions of first-cousin marriage in the United States, Europe and other Western countries like Brazil have declined since the 19th century, though even during that period they were not more than 3. But in many other world regions cousin marriage is still strongly favored: in the Middle East some countries have seen the rate rise over previous generations, and one study finds quite stable rates among Indian Muslims over the past four decades. Cousin marriage has often been chosen to keep cultural values intact through many generations, ensure the compatibility of spouses, and preserve familial wealth, sometimes via advantages relating to dowry or bride price. Other reasons may include geographic proximity, tradition, strengthening of family ties, maintenance of family structure, a closer relationship between the wife and her in-laws, greater marital stability and durability, ease of prenuptial negotiations, enhanced female autonomy, the desire to avoid hidden health problems and other undesirable traits in a lesser-known spouse, and romantic love. Lower domestic violence and divorce rates have also been claimed. Many such marriages are arranged and facilitated by other extended family members. United States Cousin marriage was legal in all states before the. However, according to Kansas anthropology professor Martin Ottenheimer, after the Civil War the main purpose of marriage prohibitions was increasingly seen less as maintaining the social order and upholding religious morality and more as safeguarding the creation of fit offspring. Indeed, writers such as and ministers like Philip Milledoler and Joshua McIlvaine helped lay the groundwork for such viewpoints well before 1860. This led to a gradual shift in concern from affinal unions, like those between a man and his deceased wife's sister, to consanguineous unions. To Morgan, cousin marriage, and more specifically parallel-cousin marriage, was a remnant of a more primitive stage of human social organization. Morgan himself had married his maternal uncle's daughter in 1851. In 1846 George N. Within the next two decades numerous reports, e. Perhaps most important was the report of physician S. Despite being contradicted by other studies like those of George Darwin and Alan Huth in England
