Mating and Marriage (Biosocial Society)

Perspectives from the fields of zoology, biological anthropology, social anthropology, and sociology frame the discussion in this fascinating new study of mating and marriage. Both animals and humans engage in mating; however, only humans marry each other. Is marriage an outgrowth at the cultural level of the kinds of mating habits observed in animals, or is it inherently different? This thoughtful volume presents stimulating, new interdisciplinary approaches to this study, indicates the main problems, and explores promising possibilities for a synthesis.