Matriliny in Practice: Rethinking Kinship Through Lived Realities

Sociological, historical, and anthropological studies have examined the distinctive kinship practice, the matrilineal system in Kerala, mainly from an upper-caste, Nayar-centric perspective. While diverse communities, including Thiyas, Muslims, Kurichiyas, and even the Brahmins in the Payyanur region of northern Malabar, historically followed a matrilineal system in Kerala, the kinship system was studied and understood mainly from an elite Nayar perspective. This paper, based on secondary sources, seeks to challenge the notion of an upper-caste-centric matrilineal kinship narrative by foregrounding the varied ways in which communities practiced and interpreted matriliny. Argues that the functioning and the reforms of the matrilineal kinship system were deeply shaped by caste positions, social context and economic roles. Moreover, the gendered experiences and women's position were not uniform across communities. Thus, this paper highlights that understanding of the matrilineal kinship system should be based on the plurality of social realities that constitute it.