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Alternative Kinship, Marriage,

And Reproduction (summary)
Nancy E. Levine

Anthropologist Nancy. E. Levine wrote this valuable and important article to show us that,
how kinship relationships are growing alternatively between gays or between lesbians, how
these alternative relationships having survived and developed in the society in a very positive
manner im European and American culture.
Writer Nancy E.Levine introduced her article with some key points family, new reproductive
technologies, gay, lesbian families. In order to explain her thought about alternative kinship
based families, she introduced some theories about kinship relationships. Also she showed the
past stages of reproductive technologies, people's psychological thought about reproductive
technologies and adoption system. For example , she gave example and explain famous
anthropologist Scheinder's thought that how kinship focus on social function, structure,
culture and also explained about different types of societies and its function in his book.
Nancy.E Levine, divided her article in different parts. In Alternative Marraige kinship and
reproduction part she discussed that how a revolution in domestic life that was generated by
diverse social and economic changes in American society. These changes undid the
prototypical modern family, which involved self-contained nuclear household units and
complementary male and female roles and which was succeeded by an assortment of
alternative family forms. These alternatives, characterized by Stacey as postmodern, have
now become part of the mainstream;
they include families headed by never-married or divorced mothers, unmarried couples
raising
children, families with more gender-egalitarian roles, and gay and lesbian families.
Also, the writer discussed in her writing that how same sex marriages and how these marital
system are functioning in different societies. For example, she showed example of European
societies, where alternative marriages celebrations took places from a long time. Celibate
marriage, same sex marriage takes place with a happily ceremonial celebration there.

In another part named "RECONFIGURING FAMILIES AMONG GAY MEN AND

LESBIAN WOMEN" she discussed that, the new kinship system got scholarly attention in
recent decades. The writer showed that, to do research about gays and lesbian family is such
hard because it is difficult to identify who is lesbian and who is gay.
The other part named ALTERNATIVE MODELS OF PARENTING: STUDIES OF
LESBIAN MOTHERS in this point the writer discussed about some social facts of
alternative families. Here it is showed that, at the stage of pre- modernism "Adoption" of
babies was taken badly. And also reproductive technologies were not available as now at that
time.
She also gave example, that now lesbian women choose their donor from the circle of their
family or friends as so their children can have genetically link from their family.
The another point Same sex marriage point out the discussion that without the critique
discussion of Levi Strauss it is impossible to evaluate about Alternative Marriage where he
discussed heterosexual marital exchange how influenced by male dominion ship

Next point The impact of new reproductive technologies writer Nancy. E. Levine talked
about new reproductive technologies and its impacts like IVF (In Vetro Fertilization) , egg or
sperm donation how these reproductive technologies bring changes in societies, family laws
and in their culture.
Responses to surrogacy point out the discussion how surrogacy took place in modern
society and how this system socially, economically helping families who need baby and to
those women who give rent of their womb to support their family economically.
Writer Nancy. Levine also discussed about modernization and globalization process of
different reproduction systems and technologies and how these systems are making a
meaningful happy life worldwide. The writer take out another discussion that, though these
reproduction systems make lives meaningful but couple who take help of these reproductive
systems hide all these discussion to their child / children as they think that it is shameful do

discuss it with their child/children as it can arise a question of male infertility and female
infertility.
In short, writer and anthropologist Nancy. E. Levine shows how alternative marriage systems,
reproduction systems are globalized time by time and help to make a meaningful life.