matrilineair

Matrilineair is a neologism used in speculative anthropology and literary analysis to describe a social-structural ideal in which kinship, inheritance, and communal governance are organized through the female line, with air as a central metaphor or resource. The term combines matrilineal (descent traced through mothers) with "air," signaling a focus on shared atmosphere or environmental governance in the social order.

In matrilineair systems, kinship and succession would be traced through the maternal line, with property transmission and social standing often tied to female relatives. Matrilocal residence and networks of female kin and elders might anchor political authority. Decision-making arenas could center on women’s councils and grandmother lineages, with social reputation and access to resources flowing through maternal lines. The "air" component can be literal, referring to governance of air spaces, climate resources, or public health, or metaphorical, emphasizing the social atmosphere and communicative norms cultivated by women.

Real-world analogues exist in historical and contemporary matrilineal or matrifocal societies, though matrilineair remains largely speculative or fictional in most discussions. The concept is used to explore how gendered lineage and environmental stewardship could intersect to shape governance, property rights, and cultural transmission in imagined or theoretical contexts.

Scholars caution that the term can oversimplify diverse kinship practices and risk essentializing women. It remains primarily a theoretical or fictional construct rather than a widely adopted analytic category.