Elymbos: A Karpathian village: The structure of an "Archaic" society


Published: Jan 1, 1981
Sissi Capetanakis
Abstract

Elymbos, situated on the Island of Karpathos. is a deeply stratified
village community, structured around three complementary
dichotomies: the first, between men and women, is revealed in the ex
istence of two lines of descent: the one paternal/masculine, the other
maternal/feminine: the second dichotomy is founded on relative age.
introducing discrimination between the oldest and youngest of both
sexes; the third is between two socio-professional groups: agri
culturists and shepherds. This system constitutes the reference
model.
Mass emigration is causing the progressive depopulation of the
village. Yet. even if the periodical return of the emigrants has led to
the upheaval of traditional social organization, the restructuring of
society which reveals a conflict between two different sets of values:
that of the tradiotional system and that of the outside world, is
superimposed on the reference model, though it has been drained of
its functional substance.

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Author Biography
Sissi Capetanakis, EHESS

Née en 1951 à Athènes. Etudes universitaires: Ayant terminé ses
études de Littérature Française à l’Université d’Athènes, en 1973, et
obtenu la Licence, elle a, en 1974, commencé des études
d’Ellinologie. à PLI R «Anthropologie, Ethnologie. Sciences de
Religions», de l'Université Paris VII. 1976: obtention de la Maîtrise
Spécialisée d’Ethnologie. 1976: inscription au DEA d'Anthropologie Sociale et Historique à l'EHESS sous la direction du pro­
fesseur P.H. Stahl. Diplôme obtenu en 1977. Entre 1978 et 1979 elle
a préparé un doctorat de 3e cycle portantsur la question de la parenté
à Elymbos, village de Karpathos. Enquêtes sur le terrain: effectuées
lors de plusieurs séjours périodiques, étalés entre 1974 et 1978.