Who defined joint family as “a group of people who generally live under one roof, who eat food cooked in one kitchen, who hold property in common, participate in common family worship and are related to one another as some particular type of kindred?

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Correct option is A

Irawati Karve

Irawati Karve, an eminent Indian anthropologist, defined the concept of the joint family in her book Kinship Organization in India (1961). She described the joint family as a group of people who live together under one roof, share meals cooked in the same kitchen, hold property collectively, engage in common family rituals, and maintain kinship ties. According to Karve, the joint family is a distinct and integral social unit in Indian society, deeply rooted in the country’s cultural and religious practices. Her definition underscores the importance of shared living, communal property, and kinship in the functioning of a joint family.

Information Booster:

1. Irawati Karve’s Contribution: Karve was one of the first anthropologists to comprehensively study the family structure in India, focusing on how joint families function and how they vary across different regions and cultures in India.
2. Joint Family System: The joint family system is prevalent in India and involves multiple generations living together under one roof. It is marked by shared responsibilities, joint property ownership, and collective decision-making.
3. Kinship and Family Structure: Karve’s work highlighted the role of kinship in Indian families, where relationships are often governed by hierarchical structures and a sense of duty toward one’s extended family.
4. Cultural Practices: The concept of family worship, shared meals, and collective property ownership forms the core of Karve’s understanding of the joint family, emphasizing its cultural importance.
5. Changes in the Joint Family System: Over time, urbanization, economic changes, and individualism have impacted the traditional joint family system, leading to nuclear families becoming more common.
6. Anthropological Focus on Family: Karve’s work is an essential contribution to the field of anthropology, particularly in understanding how families function within different socio-cultural contexts in India.

Additional Information:

1. Option 2 - K.M. Kapadia: K.M. Kapadia was a notable sociologist who also studied Indian family systems, but his focus was more on the socio-cultural aspects of family life rather than providing a specific definition like Irawati Karve did.
2. Option 3 - A.M. Shah: A.M. Shah was an anthropologist who contributed to understanding social systems, but he did not provide a definition for the joint family as Irawati Karve did.
3. Option 4 - I.P. Desai: I.P. Desai's works largely focused on social structures and law in India, but he is not credited with defining the joint family system as Karve did.