CONTINUITIES AND CHANGES IN MARSHALLESE GRANDPARENTING

Authors

Laurence Marshall Carucci, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MTFollow

Abstract

For Marshallese, grandparents do not exist as independent types of kin. A grandparent is a partner in a reciprocal grandparent/grandchild relationship. The relationship is not grounded in either biology or unchanging social status; rather, it is constructed out of practical activities as members of a shared community. Grandparents who actively earn respect in their relationships with others are recognized collectively as senior grandparents of the community or communal grandparents. This paper examines continuities and changes in the activities and social significance of grandparents of the community across three decades and four different social settings. The paper focuses on how shifting social conditions enable certain forms of grandparent/grandchild relationships and communal grandparent activity and hinder the realization of other form.

Recommended Citation

Carucci, Laurence Marshall (2008) "CONTINUITIES AND CHANGES IN MARSHALLESE GRANDPARENTING," Pacific Studies Journal: Vol. 30: No. 3, Article 9.
Available at: https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol30/iss3/9