ABSTRACT
The existence of rules governing entry and exit into marriage appears to be a fundamental feature of all societies (Goody, 1983; 1990) and the question of who has the power to set and apply those rules has always been the subject of dispute. Such struggles are concerned with the fundamental determination of who governs a community or society, because deciding on who is ‘related’ to whom enables control to be exerted over the imposition and enforcement of obligations between individuals.
