Is there a reason why endogomy was not practiced in East Asia despite having a clan based society? Is there a strong taboo against endogomy in general?
That is a great question and I wish I knew a definitive answer. I would imagine there was a strong taboo against it. I know in existing modern small countryside communities, people tend to meet each other from friends or at weddings. The same situation likely existed 100+ years ago too.
Goodness me, I’m so glad I wasn’t brought up in Vietnam in those days, it was bad enough that our father wouldn’t allow us to marry a Catholic! As you indicated things have gradually changed, but I know one thing for sure, which would be similar in our family, and that is if either of my husband or I die, which I know we will one day… that our children would definitely look after whomever was left.
Thanks for this fascinating survey of social mores. Even today, we can see that so much of the patriarchy (and the matriarchal contribution to budgetary control), lingers throughout VNese society. I wonder how long it will last, though, as the divorce rate rises steeply in VN and women become fiercely independent…?
Very interesting. Thank you. I wonder if Vietnamese patriarchy was similar to Roman. The ancestor devotion seems a bit more personal for the Vietnamese.
It's funny you mention that. I have had the same thought about rooms of ancestor worship. There are minor differences, the Vietnamese ancestor worship only goes back four generations verses the Roman ancestor worship that goes back to the founding of Rome. I just listened to an interesting podcast segment about this by Lex Fridman.
Is there a reason why endogomy was not practiced in East Asia despite having a clan based society? Is there a strong taboo against endogomy in general?
That is a great question and I wish I knew a definitive answer. I would imagine there was a strong taboo against it. I know in existing modern small countryside communities, people tend to meet each other from friends or at weddings. The same situation likely existed 100+ years ago too.
Goodness me, I’m so glad I wasn’t brought up in Vietnam in those days, it was bad enough that our father wouldn’t allow us to marry a Catholic! As you indicated things have gradually changed, but I know one thing for sure, which would be similar in our family, and that is if either of my husband or I die, which I know we will one day… that our children would definitely look after whomever was left.
Thanks for this fascinating survey of social mores. Even today, we can see that so much of the patriarchy (and the matriarchal contribution to budgetary control), lingers throughout VNese society. I wonder how long it will last, though, as the divorce rate rises steeply in VN and women become fiercely independent…?
Very interesting. Thank you. I wonder if Vietnamese patriarchy was similar to Roman. The ancestor devotion seems a bit more personal for the Vietnamese.
It's funny you mention that. I have had the same thought about rooms of ancestor worship. There are minor differences, the Vietnamese ancestor worship only goes back four generations verses the Roman ancestor worship that goes back to the founding of Rome. I just listened to an interesting podcast segment about this by Lex Fridman.
https://youtu.be/kkwHhNitf8A?si=iqsJxRLG45r2SQHQ