Two Processes of Change in Japanese-American Kinship

Two processes of change in Japanese-American kinship are analyzed using a theoretical framework which differentiates the cultural structure of kinship (kinship as a system of symbols and meanings) from the social structure of kinship (the patterning of actual interaction between kinsmen). The first process, which follows Parsons's model of structural differentiation, entails a normative reorganization that leaves higher order values and the symbolic system intact. The second process, however, goes beyond the limits of Parsons's model and demonstrates one manner in which fundamental change can occur in an ideological system. Comparison of the two simultaneous processes of change leads to several findings relevant to the question of the interdependence of kinship behavior and kinship ideology.