crosscousinage

Crosscousinage refers to a marriage system where individuals are permitted or even expected to marry their cross-cousins. Cross-cousins are children of a parent's sibling of the opposite sex. Specifically, this means a man can marry his mother's brother's daughter or his father's sister's daughter. This is in contrast to parallel cousin marriage, where individuals marry their parallel cousins, who are children of siblings of the same sex (e.g., a man marrying his mother's sister's daughter or his father's brother's daughter).

The practice of crosscousin marriage is found in many cultures around the world and has significant implications for social structure, kinship, and alliance formation. It often serves to maintain and strengthen existing relationships between kin groups, ensuring the continuity of alliances and the transfer of property or status within defined lines. This form of marriage can create a cyclical pattern of exchange between two families or lineages over generations.

Anthropologists study crosscousinage to understand how different societies organize themselves and perpetuate their social systems. The rules governing marriage, including crosscousinage, are fundamental to kinship systems and influence everything from inheritance patterns to political relationships. While not universal, crosscousin marriage represents a significant variation in human marriage practices.