the rules and the game: the practice of marriage among the Komachi

Abstract

Studies of marriage in the Middle East have traditionally been focused on the whys and wherefores of patri‐parallel cousin marriage. Recent studies have argued that marriages are more directed by practical concerns than by categorical preferences. The relationship of rules to practice has therefore become problematical. Building on a detailed analysis of marriages contracted among Komachi nomads, this paper clarifies the relationship of rule to practice within Komachi society . [Middle East, kinship, marriage, rule and practice]