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The history of human marriage

by Edward Westermarck & Alfred Russel Wallace (1862–1939)

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  • 18 hours to read
  • 49 chapters
  • Reading level: 7th grade

"The history of human marriage" by Edward Westermarck is a work published in 1891. This monumental anthropological study attempts a grand synthesis of marriage as a social institution across world history. Westermarck argues that marriage rests on biological foundations, evolving through human needs for companionship, economic cooperation, and child-rearing. The work also introduces what became known as the Westermarck effect—a theory explaining sexual desensitization among those raised in close proximity and the origins of incest taboos.

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  • Marriage · History

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Chapter I

THE ORIGIN OF MARRIAGE

Tales of the origin of marriage, pp. 8, et seq.—The subject regarded from a scientific point of view, p. 9.—Parental care among Invertebrata, ibid.—The relations of the sexes and parental care among Fishes, p. 10.—Among Reptiles, ibid.—Among Birds, pp. 10, et seq.—Among the lower Mammals, p. 12.—Among the Quadrumana, pp. 12-14.—Among savage and barbarous races of men, pp. 14-17.—The father’s place in the family, pp. 15-19.—Definition of the word marriage, pp. 19, et seq.—Marriage a product of natural selection, pp. 20, et seq.—Marriage rooted in family rather than family in marriage, pp. 22-24.

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Contents

Show all 49 chapters
  1. Front Matter
  2. Chapter I
  3. Chapter II
  4. Chapter III
  5. Chapter IV
  6. Chapter V
  7. Chapter VI
  8. Chapter VII
  9. Chapter VIII
  10. Chapter IX
  11. Chapter X
  12. Chapter XI
  13. Chapter XII
  14. Chapter XIII
  15. Chapter XIV
  16. Chapter XV
  17. Chapter XVI
  18. Chapter XVII
  19. Chapter XVIII
  20. Chapter XIX
  21. Chapter XX
  22. Chapter XXI
  23. Chapter XXII
  24. Chapter XXIII
  25. Introduction
  26. Chapter I
  27. Chapter II
  28. Chapter III
  29. Chapter IV
  30. Chapter V
  31. Chapter VI
  32. Chapter VII
  33. Chapter VIII
  34. Chapter IX
  35. Chapter X
  36. Chapter XI
  37. Chapter XII
  38. Chapter XIII
  39. Chapter XIV
  40. Chapter XV
  41. Chapter XVI
  42. Chapter XVII
  43. Chapter XVIII
  44. Chapter XIX
  45. Chapter XX
  46. Chapter XXI
  47. Chapter XXII
  48. Chapter XXIII
  49. Chapter XXIV

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About this edition

This free edition of The history of human marriage by Edward Westermarck & Alfred Russel Wallace comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #59386, released 2019-04-28. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Archaeology & Anthropology, Sociology.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).