SOAS Research Online

A Free Database of the Latest Research by SOAS Academics and PhD Students

[skip to content]

Dotson, Brandon (2004) 'A note on zhang: maternal relatives of the Tibetan royal line.' Journal Asiatique, 292 (1–2). pp. 75-99.

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

This article examines the meaning of the Tibetan kinship term źao (“maternal uncle”, “father-in-law” or “wife-giver”) as it applied to the maternal relatives of the Tibetan royal line during the period of the Tibetan empire (c.600—c.850). Based on a close examination of several Old Tibetan sources, the article demonstrates that the appellative źao was lent to members of an aristocratic clan when one of its ladies gave birth to a Tibetan emperor (or upon his subsequent accession to the throne), and that the title was retained for at least four generations thereafter. The investigation also reveals a proscription governing the marriage practices of the Tibetan royal line: no heir-producing marriage with a single maternal clan was permitted until a certain number of generations had passed since an earlier such union. The ramifications of this practice are then considered alongside a modern parallel, and the paper closes with a few extrapolations concerning the social structure of the Tibetan empire.

Item Type: Journal Article
Keywords: Tibet, social history, kinship, marriage, royalty, clans
SOAS Departments & Centres: Legacy Departments > Faculty of Languages and Cultures > Department of the Languages and Cultures of China and Inner Asia
ISSN: 0021762X
Date Deposited: 28 Feb 2008 14:56
URI: https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/id/eprint/3353

Altmetric Data

There is no Altmetric data currently associated with this item.

Statistics

Download activity - last 12 monthsShow export options
Downloads since deposit
6 month trend
0Downloads
6 month trend
392Hits
Accesses by country - last 12 monthsShow export options
Accesses by referrer - last 12 monthsShow export options

Repository staff only

Edit Item Edit Item