ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the effectiveness of the rules that attempt to enforce those social norms consistent with the model of marital exchange developed in previous chapters, and the expectations of Nuaulu actors. A particular focus is on incest avoidance as a structural and contingent problem. The chapter begins by looking at avoidance rules more generally, of which there are many in Nuaulu society. The chapter, however, is mainly focused on those rules that ensure the social conditions for effective biological reproduction: rules regulating marital stability, death of a partner, divorce and remarriage, and especially rules surrounding incest. These latter are explored through one in-depth case study that shows how what constitutes an incest violation is not always straightforward, given existential patterns of marriage and the interests of the different clans involved.
