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Kinship among the Ġorbat of Babol
How an Anthropology of Childhood Reveals Kinship Structure
in Anthropology of the Middle East
Abstract
The Ġorbat are one of the peripatetic groups in Iran known colloquially as Kowli (Gypsy). In scientific literature, we notice a lack of knowledge about this group. The only image of Ġorbats for urban Iranians consists of begging children at crossroads. As the Ġorbat child plays a crucial role in the social division of tasks, the present study approaches this group from the perspective of the anthropology of childhood. Analysis of childcare practices, the status of children in the group and their duties towards adults reveal specific models of kinship among Ġorbats. In addition, child circulation within the lineage reveals certain invariables in the Ġorbat’s structure of kinship. Thus, we can explain new modifications in the group’s task division and the underlying logics of child labour.
Contributor Notes
Mitra Asfari obtained her PhD in cultural anthropology from Paris V (René Descartes University). She is Assistant Professor at Yazd University and Oloum Tahghighat Azad University. Her studies focus on semi-sedentary groups and childhood in urban environment in Tehran. E-mail: mitra.asfari@hotmail.com
